The Gift
by OriginalSluggo
Summary: Through a wild series of events, a woman named Anthadme finds herself as a bounty hunter on Nevarro. When a small, big eared, and green-eyed child enters her life: Everything changes. Anthadme slowly discovers her purpose in this world, the hard decisions she must make, and the balance she's responsible for. All while a particular Mandalorian remains at her side.
1. Prologue Death & Rebirth

Author's note:

This chapter is for you to learn the backstory of the main character, relevant lore to the Star Wars universe, and catch up to where the story "begins" in the next chapter.

You can skip the prologue and continue reading if you want to get straight to Part One. Future chapters will include small references to this prologue as refreshers, but will not include a detailed explanation.

_**Prophecy,**__ a prediction. The faculty, function, or practice of prophesying._

_**Withholding,**__ a refusal to give something that is due or desired. Not expressing affection or warmth of feeling._

_**Lying,**__ a present participle of lie, the act of not telling the truth._

Sometimes a prophecy withholds details to prevent upcoming events from being disrupted.

Sometimes a prophecy is a means to an end. An end that is the true beginning, instead of a true end.

_Sometimes, information is withheld to maintain balance._

**Bastard,** born of parents not married to each other. Illegitimate. Skywalker, a name given to bastard children of the Galaxy. A name given to Mothers of bastard children.

_Shmi Warka, Mother of Anakin, known as Shmi Skywalker after his birth._

**The Ones,** the Gods of Mortis. The Daughter, the keeper of the Light. The Son, the keeper of the Dark. The Father, the keeper of t Balance. The Chosen One, he who was meant to correct the balance.

_Anakin Skywalker._

First, the Son killed the Daughter.

The Father then killed himself to weaken the Son.

The Chosen one killed the Son to restore the Balance.

_More like... Set the __**motion**__ to correct the balance that was intended all along._

Father saw time and all of its possible outcomes.

Father recognized time to be ever-changing and dependent on the sentient lifeforms that consistently made decisions that altered time.

_To fall into the idea of maintaining time is to fall into the ideals of insanity._

The power of the Force lives through the Gods of Mortis. The Gods serve as a conduit for all Force Wielders in the Galaxy.

_The death of the Gods must mean the end to the Force?_

The world might carry on just fine, if not better, without the power of the Force blessing random children in the galaxy.

_Arguably, the species of the galaxy would find new and interesting ways to kill themselves._

Father knew, more than anything, that a day would come where they would all die. Himself, his Son, and his Daughter.

When and How was an ever-changing story.

The fact that it would happen? Inevitable.

_The answer?_

What if the Father, Son, and Daughter died? What if, instead of the Force dying with them, a new source was created? The same Force, but a different power source?

What if there was one? What if there was **only** Balance?

What if **all** Force Wielders use **one** source as a conduit for their powers?

One source powering them all gives **no** side an advantage.

This finally puts balance in the hands of the sentient beings we relied on to turn the wheels of time with their decisions.

What if it was time the Gods stepped back and allowed the galaxy to fend for itself?

_What if, instead of the Father, Son, or Daughter, there was..._

_**The Child?**_

****In 20BBY**** the Father, Son, and Daughter were killed.

A trio of Jedi leaves Mortis and the bodies of the Gods dissipate into the ground. While the Daughter's life was used to replenish the life of Ahsoka, her Force was still soaked into the planet.

A golden hue of light, followed by a dark looming shadow, followed by an ebbing mist of grey surrounded the Gods' monastery.

The Forces dance through the air like an elaborate ball that ****only**** the forces of nature were invited to.

Each year the Forces dance closer together. Sparks fly from them and destroy the environment around them.

In 5 years the monastery is no more.

****In 15BBY**** the world of Mortis becomes a blank slate where nothing exists. It falls from the world.

Nothing except the grey mist, the golden glow, and the dark shadow is here. Their 5-year dance takes the shape of a sphere.

The sphere is vicious, chaotic, and pure.

The Force Wielders are drawing power from the sphere. The Dark, the Light, and the Balanced Wielders may draw from this energy. It does not pick sides. It is nothing, and yet somehow everything.

The sphere blasts radiant light and bestows the planet of Mortis a humanoid child. When the Child reaches nothing, which is all Mortis is, it is surrounded by darkness.

The Mist recognized the Child to be nothing, and yet also everything. The mist engulfed the Child to protect it in a Force Barrier. The Golden light surrounded the barrier and, together, they cast the Child out of Mortis to the Outer Rim of the galaxy.

Desperate to find a new home for the Child, the Mist and the Golden light followed the last chain of connection it remembered.

A connection to the prophecy.

A connection to the Chosen One.

****In 15BBY**** the Child crash lands on Tatooine, the homeworld of Anakin Skywalker.

In ancient times Tatooine was known for being a planet of oceans, rivers, and rainforests. When the Child lands on Tatooine the Mist and the Golden light cause an explosion that creates a rainforest to emerge in a perfect radius around the Child.

This rainforest is roughly the size of an acre, but it does not appear on ship scanners. It does, however, catch the attention of the local Tusken Raiders.

You see, water is sacred to Tusken Raiders. They believed the rainforest was a gift from the Gods.

When they infiltrated the rainforest and found the Child, they believed the Child to be the ****eyes**** of the Gods.

Therefore this rainforest, and the Child, are sacred to the Tusken Raiders.

The Tusken Raiders take the Child as one of their own. They gave the Child to their Tribal Leader, Jido, and made him solely responsible for raising it. He gives the Child a Bantha, a sacred present given to all children of a Tusken Raider tribe.

For the first 15 years of the Child's life, it was raised within the sacred space and not allowed to leave it. The Child named its Bantha Balosar and the Bantha was not allowed to leave the sacred place either.

The Tuskens teach the Child to speak Tusken, Jawa, Huttese, and sign language. All are common for Tusken Raiders due to their frequent interactions of the respective species.

****It is 1ABY ****and the Child is 15. When Tusken children turn 15 they go through a trial of killing a Krayt Dragon and harvesting its stomach pearls. Should they return alive they are given their adult names and roles.

The Child completes this trial. Once the Dragon was slain, and the Child believed itself to be an adult, the rainforest scorched in Tatooine's suns.

Fires blackened the area that the rainforest once inhabited. The Golden light and grey Mist return to the heavens.

The Tusken Raiders believed the Tribal Chief failed to foresee the wrong in treating God's blessing the same as everyone else. They believed their leader made decisions that caused the Gods to punish them.

They knew they needed to attune for their sins and sacrifice was the only way they knew how. The Tusken Raiders bound their Tribal Chief and executed him in front of the child's eyes.

_It was God's eyes. The Gods needed to see._

While they could not bring themselves to kill the gift, they recognized the need for the loss of the gift.

Their shame could only be recouped by a total loss.

The Child, and it's sacred Bantha, were banished.

****It is 1ABY**** and the Child survived the treacherous desert clad with only the Gaffii Stick it created and a small bottle of Sandbat venom.

Issa-Or, a female Twi-lek, found the Child and took it in. With no alternative means for survival, it accepted this fate.

The Child discovers she is a woman and not an "it". Tusken Raiders believe children to be androgynous, but since she never returned from her rite of passage she was never given a name or a role.

_Now, _**_**she**_**_ is no longer "_**_**it**_**_"._

They settled in Freetown, a small settlement on Tatooine, and Issa-Or taught the Child to speak the common language.

****In 4ABY ****the Child is 18. Jabba the Hutt is killed. Issa-Or and Cobb Vanth, a human male, are the Sheriffs of Freetown.

The Red Keys are a local group of organized crime. They are fronting themselves as a mining company that threatens all peaceful life on Tatooine.

After Jabba's death, the Red Keys brought a small Huttlet to install in the empty palace. Cobb and Issa-Or captured the child.

Malakili, beastmaster for the late Jabba, was recruited by the couple to help raise the Hutt. Maliki insisted on raising the Hutt as a sentient being, with care and love, and named it Borgo.

****In 5ABY ****Cobb Vanth made a deal with the Tusken Raiders to protect Freetown. He offers them a steady shipment of water and proves his strength by completing the rite of passage.

The Tusken Raiders believed this stroke of fate was an act of the Gods recognizing their sin and resolving them of it by proving the water.

The Tuskens make Cobb and Issa-Or promise to care for the Child for the rest of her life. They tell Cobb and Issa-Or the strange background of the Child and they all decide to keep it a secret.

All of them convince the Child to keep it a secret as well. They explain bad people, like the Red Keys, exist in this world and would hunt her for it.

****Later, in the same year of 5ABY,**** the Red Keys successfully take over Freetown. They steal the Child, the Hutt child, and the rest of the population.

Borgo screeched, notifying the Tusken Raiders. They infiltrated the village and helped Cobb remove the Red Key's influence. After the battle of the Red Keys, Cobb Vanth acquired a set of Mandalorian armor from a Jawa Sandcrawler.

He put the armor on to rescue

He wore this armor to protect Freetown and save the Child from her fate as a slave to the Hutts.

****Later, in the same year of 5ABY, ****the mercenaries of Red Key were walking the slave chain across the desert of Tatooine to load them into a cargo ship and deliver them to planet Nal Hutta.

Cobb, stopped them before they could make it to the ship, but not before the Child was branded. Cobb, as a formal slave himself, decided to cover her slave markings the same way he covered his own.

_With the branding of a star over them._

He and Issa-Or named the child Anthadme and recognized her as their daughter.

It was the shock of them calling her their daughter that confused her.

Was she not good enough to be considered an adult in Freetown?

Was the idea of parents sacred to the people of Freetown throughout their whole lives?

Despite spending 4 years outside of the Tusken Raider clan, there was still so much she was blind to. There was so much ingrained xenophobia that she didn't know what to do.

So she smiled, nodded, and accepted the gift.

She had far too many bad memories associated with gifts.

****It is 6ABY**** and Anthadme is 20 years old. She spent the past year learning the customs and cultures of humans outside of the Tusken Raider Clan.

Cobb was gone during this time. Very soon after the battle of Red Keys, he set off to find learn what it truly meant to wear the Mandalorian armor.

He wanted to take his role as Sheriff of Freetown and father to Anthadme very seriously. Becoming the best kind of warrior the galaxy knows was the only way he knew how to.

The day Cobb returned home he happily embraced his family and told them all the tales of his journey.

Issa-Or and Anthadme were heartbroken to discover he could never take his helmet off and reveal his face again, but they accepted his wishes just as wholly as he accepted his new Creed.

Cobb slid into a new role of Freetown, as Mayor, and continued his duties diligently.

He taught his family as such-

**_**The Super Commando Codex**_**

_Strength is life, for the strong have the right to rule._

_Honor is life, for with no honor one may as well be dead._

_Loyalty is life, for without one's clan one has no purpose._

_Death is life, one should die as they have lived._

**_**The Resol'nare**_**

_Wearing Armor._

_Speaking the language._

_Defending yourself and your family._

_Raising your children as Mandalorians._

_Contributing to the clan's welfare._

_When called upon by the Mand'alor, rally to his cause._

_Those who do not follow the Resol'nare are dar'manda - someone who is ignorant of their Mandalorian heritage._

The status of a Dar'manda was wildly feared in Mandalorian culture and thus instilled in Cobb's mentality. To Mandalorians, being Dar'manda meant you were soulless and had no place in the Manda, a Mandalorian afterlife.

Mandalorian children were taught a tune that Cobb found necessary for Anthadme to learn, along with the parts of Mandalorian language he knew.

_Ba'jur, beskar'gram,_

_Ara'noc, aliit,_

_Mando'a bal Mand'alor-_

_An vencuyan mhi._

_(__****Translation: Mandalorian for "Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language, our leader- all help us survive)****_

****It is 7ABY ****Cobb relentlessly tried to convince his family to swear by the Creed and don their own armor. He spoke of how they were not able to go to Manda in the afterlife ****too often.****

He Anthadme his "Foundling", but his daughter no more.

"Foundlings are supposed to swear by the creed at 18. She was 21. She is late, but she can still _try._

Issa-Or firmly stood by her decision to not take up the Creed, Manda be damned, and remained at Cobb's side.

For the entire year of 7 Anthadme was relentlessly educated on Mandalorian culture in the hopes she would convert.

She was scared of losing her family to another "religious" tragedy.

So she ran.

She stole the largest ship she could reasonably fry alone from her Father's fleet, loaded up her prized Balosar, and headed for a new planet.

_Nevarro._

****It is 8ABY.**** For the past year, Anthadme took small end jobs at the local Bounty Hunter's Guild to prove she was worth being a member.

No one ever asked where she came from, why she needed to be a bounty hunter, or any other personal information.

She took this lifestyle with a greed for comforting silence.

Words that did not need to be spoken were not spoken. Opinions and stories were locked away like a princess in a fairytale tower. She crafted a new Tusken Raider mask to hide her face and donned flowing robes to conceal her skin.

The armor she built around herself put her in control and she wished for nothing more.

For the first time in her life, Anthadme was in complete control of her entire being.

She wasn't a gift from the Gods.

She wasn't a Tusken Raider.

She wasn't an it.

She wasn't a daughter.

She wasn't a Foundling.

She was just Anthadme, a bounty hunter, and that was so, so enough.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts/favorite parts!

It helps keep the motivation going to keep writing.


	2. Part 1 - The Job

Author's note:

Eyyy. Noting here that I have Dyslexia and usually, I'm pretty good at catching obvious mistakes, but not perfect! I generally read over my work fairly often so I'll be fixing grammar/glow mistakes as I go.

-Nevarro-

It is 10ABY and the woman is now 24.

Anthadme exited her ship with a grumble. Following closely behind her was Balosar. The woman looked up to her Bantha and raised her hand well above her head. It was the only way she could reach the Bantha's nose.

"Fuel is getting expensive, Balosar," she said solemnly, running her hand through the hair that fell around the Bantha's mouth, "If we don't get a few good bounties, or at least one good one, I'm going to have to start leaving you on this planet four bounties and get a smaller ship."

The Bantha raised her head and let out a deep groan that vibrated through Anthadme's ribcage. She chuckled at her pet's reaction, "Don't you start, girl. I'm sure we'll figure something out. If we don't... You'll be fine waiting on Nevarro for me to return, yes?"

Balosar put her head down to look Anthadme in the eyes and stayed silent.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. Let's get out of here," Anthadme said, putting her helmet on, "Oru!" she called, causing the Bantha to lower her head. The woman climbed on the back of her Bantha and situated herself in the crook of its neck.

"Rak!" she instructed, and the Bantha began walking toward the town.

((_Tusken Raider Language: __Oru__ = Drop. __Rak__ = Move/Walk!))_

When Anthadme ran from home to avoid her adopted Father, a Mandalorian zealot trying to convert her from a Foundling to a Mandalorian, she didn't think to take anything besides Balosar and her Gaffi stick.

That meant she lacked the money to upgrade her gear. There wasn't much profit since she needed a large ship, and a lot of fuel, to git her Bantha.

So there she sat, sitting atop a Bantha that even the tallest man had to look up to see the head of.

She was donned in loose fabrics, furs, and random bits of Plastoid armor. Most of the pockets on her belt were filled with Sandbat venom, but there were also a few emergency grenades that she kept _just in case._

Anthadme's helmet was constructed to crudely resemble the Tusken Raider masks. It was something she spent most of her life wearing and growing accustomed to.

Both ends of her Gaffii Stick were upgraded with a VibroBlade tip that supported electroshocks. The staff, in the center of the Gaffi Stick, was replaced with a graphite hilt to prevent backfires. Other than that, a simple Blaster was hooked to her waist.

_(A link to ref her helmet and clothes: __ /a/Pyg7NVS _

_Imagine this helmet, but without the extra bump on the top of her head. The tubes to the breather on her chest attach directly to the cheek sections of the mask._

_Imagine those clothes and Gaffii Stick with bits of armor on her chest, shoulders, and elbows made of Plastoid. That's the same material Stormtrooper armor is made of, but her's is dark, scuffed, and beat up.)_

When she reached the Cantina she slid down the side of her Bantha and looked around her. Per usual, anyone that Anthadme didn't recognize to be a local was staring at her like she was going to attack at any moment.

_ "What are the Tusken Raiders doing here?"_

_ "Are they finally accepting of other people?"_

_ "Are they here to trick us?"_

_ "Is she going to kill us?"_

_ "What's under the mask?"_

_ "Is she even humanoid?"_

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the way the people looked at her. It kept them away from her.

Anthadme smiled under her mask, happy that no one knew who she was.

Sure, a Tusken Raider mingling with people is odd enough that word might get back to her father on Tatooine, but it had been years since she left and he hadn't come for her yet.

She hoped it was because he finally accepted that she didn't want to swear by the Resol'nare. That was a far stretch.

The thoughts hurt her, so she wished the visions of her parents out of her head and walked into the cantina. She was immediately met with an overly ecstatic Greef Karga.

"Tusky!" He called, causing her to growl in the back of her throat.

She hated that nickname. It felt like it was disgracing her tribe. The Tusken Raiders were her people. Even if she could not return to them she was born and raised with their ideals. She felt obligated to defend them.

_Even if they were crazy._

Even so, she never argued over Greef's offensive nickname. He might ask for a different name if she did and she had none to give him.

Anthadme silently approached the table Greef was sitting at. It was then she noticed the Mandalorian armor sitting across from him. The Mandalorian's back was to her, but his sight still caused her breath to hitch in her throat.

Just as fast as she noticed him, she recognized him to be a fellow Bounty Hunter she's seen in Nevarro over the past few years. She saw him often, but it didn't change how much she _hated_ seeing him.

He reminded her of her Father and everything she was running from.

She stood to the side of the table the men sat at and said nothing.

"Still not talking to me, huh?" He questioned with sarcastic cheerfulness, "No matter! I'm sure you want your next job, yes?"

Anthadme looked to the Mandalorian sitting across from him and pointed in his direction, cocking her head to the side. She said no words, but the Bounty Hunter and Guild Master knew what she was saying.

_'Why are we discussing Guild matters with multiple Bounty Hunters present? It is customary to complete your business with each one individually and _**_only then_**_ moving onto the next,' _is what that gesture meant.

Greef put his right hand up in a defensive manner, closing his eyes as he rocked his hand back and forth for a moment to represent a gesture that said '_Calm down'._

He opened his eyes and pointed at the Mandalorian, "Now hear me out, Tusky. I've got a job, a **big job**, that I'd like the two of you to work together o-"

As soon as he said the words _'work together'_, Anthadme turned on her heel and headed for the door.

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving. The hand missed her wrist and grabbed the base of her gloved hand, just under her thumb. Then the person pulled, causing the furs and fabrics of her sleeve to slide.

This exposed a star-shaped brand on her wrist. There were small bits of black speckled on the inside of the scar tissue. To others, it looked like an intentional galaxy for what they could assume was an aesthetically pleasing body modification.

In reality, the star was a brand her Father gave her to cover her slave numbers. The star was a means to prevent someone from knowing she was a slave by hiding the numbers **and** a sentimental piece to their family.

Her father was once a slave and his numbers were tattooed on his shoulder blade. When he freed himself he covered the numbers with a Star brand. When he freed his daughter he did the same for her.

She realized the goal of grabbing her was to get her back to the table.

She realized that didn't make touching her okay.

She realized the man didn't mean to expose a private piece of her life.

She realized the man didn't even know what was there when he revealed her wrist.

She didn't know if anyone saw.

She hoped they didn't, not knowing that the Mandalorian _definitely _did.

He assumed that the mark was a body modification. However, he was too smart to think there wasn't a story behind it. A story he may never ask for.

It was none of his business.

Anthadme felt exposed and the emotions of Tatooine rushed back into her skull like a freight train heading for a brick wall. With nowhere to go, it smashed through her head and exposed itself in the form of violence.

She let out a loud, pained, and angry growl as she withdrew her Gaffii Stick.

The cantina fell silent, heads turning toward the situation.

With a swift flick of her thumb, the Gaffii Stick came to life and emitted a soft glow of blue with a loud hum of electricity.

The Mandalorian retracted his hand from her wrist just as fast as she drew her weapon. He put one hand up, palm facing her, and used the other to sign 'I'm sorry'.

Obviously, she could understand Greef, but he didn't know how much of the common tongue she knew. At this point, as the offending party, he realized it was within his best interest to play it safe and use both languages.**_  
_**

Anthadme breathed both deeply as she stood above the Mandalorian who still had a fist to his chest from the signing.

Greef stood slowly. When Anthadme noticed this she jolted, pointing the other end of her Gaffii stick at him.

Greef responded to this motion by putting his hands in the air to show signs of surrender, "Well shit, Tusk. I didn't know your weapon could do that," He said, pointing to the electricity breathing off her Gaffii Stick.

She knew he was trying to distract her and she _wanted_ it to work.

"But, it must be expensive to charge, yes?" His asked.

It _was_ expensive to charge. Greef Karga knew she was flying a Bantha around in a spaceship bigger than the two of them needed. He knew Banthas were a prized possession of the Tusken Raiders. He also knew fuel for such a large ship was expensive.

He made her consider her Bantha over her rage _and it worked._

Anthadme took one final deep breath and flipped the switch on her Gaffii Stick. When the charge came to a full stop she put the weapon back on her back.

The Mandalorian lowered his hands and moved to the side, offering her a seat at the table. The two men wanted to take advantage of the diffused situation before it erupted again. They both assumed the rage of a Tusken Raider **must** be short-fused.

Greef Karga slid back into his seat, "You must be thirsty, yes?" He questioned, "If you take a seat and listen to what we have to say, I'll buy you a drink." His famous manipulative smile returned to his face.

Anthadme rolled her eyes from under her mask. Every time, every _fucking_ time. Greef Karga, in a desperate attempt to see her face, _always_ offered to buy her a drink in the hopes she would take it off and reveal the mystery. Her eyes wandered to the Mandalorian, wondering if he ever tried the same antics with him.

The woman took a moment before taking the seat next to the Mandalorian. Reluctantly.

"Great!" Greef called out, waving the bartender with his hand, "Please, drinks for me and my friends!"

Anthadme's hands, resting on the table, clenched. The Mandalorian took note of this, "Not a fan of friends?" He questioned.

She turned her head and looked directly at the Mandalorian. She wanted him to know she recognized that he said something. She also wanted him to know that she purposely chose to not answer it.

An awkward moment passed where Greef remained silent as well, excited to hear her answer.

_Or any words from her, for that matter._

When she said nothing, the Mandalorian sighed, "Right. Not a fan of **people**."

He couldn't see it, but a twisted smile spread across her face under her mask.

If he was picking it up this fast maybe he would let it go. Maybe he wouldn't ask a thousand questions in some kind of hope that she might answer one as most people did.

Maybe he wouldn't be so bad to work with.

"Shame," Greef frowned, realizing she wasn't going to say anything. The drinks arrived and he took a sip before getting serious.

"Look, the two of you are the best I've got. There's a big job that's been bouncing off many Bounty Hunters and none of them have been able to complete it. I need the two of you, working together, to complete the job," Greef said, setting his drink down and raising his hands in an 'offering' gesture.

Anthadme thought for a moment, but the Mandalorian asked the question she was thinking.

"If we're the best you've got, why didn't you come to one of us first? How do you know the job is that hard if you've been going to the lower end of the talent first? Why didn't this come to one of us first?"

His words acted as a challenge to Greef. _'This job is probably very simple, but you trusted dimwits instead of coming to the pros'_ was basically what he said.

"You don't understand," Greef said, "Guild Masters on **other** planets have been giving this job out. Nothing but failures! I'm sure they all sent their best and I'm sure they were **nothing** compared to the two of you, but I need this job done. _I need it done, I need it done fast, and I need it done **right**. _There's a lot of money on the table **and** we might be able to put the Nevarro Guild on the grid for more clients to come and pay Guild prices," he paused, "Work together, get it done, and we all get rich."

They all sat in silence for a moment. Anthadme thumbed the edge of her drink in contemplation. After a brief moment of silence, she raised her hand from the cup and said 'Money' in sign language.

'_How much?'_ she silently asked.

Greef smirked, withdrawing a chit from his pocket, "No puck. No chain code. Direct contact," He said. The woman was about to sign that he didn't answer her question, but he saw the contemplation in her face and explained himself, "Do you know how much clients pay for non-formal deals?"

The woman pressed her lips together and tilted her head, considering it. After a moment she folded her hands together and nodded her head.

The Mandalorian reached his hand to take the chit, but Greef withdrew his hand, "You can only have it if you agree to work together."

Both Anthadme and the Mandalorian looked to one another, "Do you want to make money, or not?" was all he asked.

She thought about her Bantha and how bad she wanted to keep taking it with her on trips.

She contemplated all of the worst possible outcomes she could think of.

Instead of responding to him, in any way, she turned her head to Greef and held her hand out for the chit.

Greef gave a wild smile and allowed her to take it from his hand. Once the chit was in her possession her and the Mandalorian stood from the table and exited the cantina.

Author's note:

I'm still in the "this story is a new and awesome idea so I'm going to be updating frequently" vibe.

Don't forget to like/comment! Helps me know what you're thinking, what parts you enjoy, what I need to elaborate on, and how much you like/dislike the story!


	3. Part 2 - Honor is Life

-Nevarro-

Anthadme and the Mandalorian made their way through the busy market, into an alley, and down a set of steps.

"Can I have the chit?" the Mandalorian asked, pausing in front of a door.

She remained silent and turned toward him. For a moment she stood there, unmoving, hoping it would give him his answer.

'_No.'_

The Mandalorian signed, "Look, obviously you're not going to do the talking. Give me the chit and let me handle this," he said, holding out his hand, "Be the tough girl later when we _actually_ need your Gaffii out."

His verbal shot at her quick response to violence from earlier made her angry. Her cheeks flushed and even though she knew he couldn't see it, she was still embarrassed. Anthadme removed the chit from her pocket and shoved it roughly into his hand.

"Thanks," he muttered before turning his heel and knocking on the door.

A small square next to the door opened. The eye of a droid popped out and the Mandalorian held up the chit. The door opened after the droid scanned it.

As they entered the door there was noticeable darkness, despite the circular light fixtures on the ceiling. The same droid from the door led them down a hallway and something about the building made Anthadme want to vomit.

Something felt wrong. _Deeply wrong._

She felt like she was walking into a forbidden area she shouldn't be in. Something about the influence of the aura caused her breath hitch in her throat. She paused, feeling like this sensation would consume her, and placed a hand on the wall to steady her breathing.

'_What the fuck is going on? Alleged scary places never bothered me before. I've been a Bounty Hunter for years now, for fuck's sake'_ she thought, just as confused by the situation as the Mantalodian who turned to see what was going on.

"You alright?" he asked, his tone sounding more annoyed than it did interested. To him, it wasn't a good sign that he was already experiencing issues with his fellow Bounty Hunter before they even received the **information** on the job.

Anthadme nodded, waving her unoccupied hand, and straightened her back. She took her other hand from the wall, drew in a deep breath, and nodded again. The Mandalorian said nothing before turning on his heel to face the door again.

The droid realized his companions were ready and opened the door. Stormtroopers were waiting on the other side.

Anthadme's breath hitched again. The woman never witnessed the war directly, but she did recognize the helmets as the same ones littered around her homeworld on pikes.

Stories her adoptive mother, Issa-Or, told her about the war left a foul taste on her tongue.

The Mandalorian took the events into consideration, "Did you know?" He quietly asked so only she would hear.

Anthadme shook her head _'no' _and signed two words, '_Bad feeling'._

The Mandalorian didn't quite piece together that she meant her breathing was caused by a bad feeling. He thought she was saying she didn't know about the Stormtroopers, but had a bad feeling about them regardless.

The duo entered the room to see an older man sitting at a table. The Bounty Hunters took tentative steps, hoping they didn't just walk into a trap.

"Greef Karga said you were coming," The man said.

"What else did he say?" The Mandalorian asked as they neared the table.

"That you two are the best in the parsec," The man said. His voice sounding old. Decrepit.

A door on the back right corner of the room opened and a Doctor swiftly entered. The surprise caused the Mandalorian to raise his weapons and triggered a chain reaction. The Stormtroopers raised theirs and then so did Anthadme.

Although the two were used to working alone, their backs clicked together like they had been battle buddies for centuries. Anthadme thanked the Mandalorian in her head for having enough, or at least similar, battle senses as her.

The Doctor apologized for his actions. He sounded scared, swift, and far too nervous. His apology only angered Anthadme because it didn't change the fact that their problem was now with the Stormtroopers and not him.

She looked over her shoulder at the Mandalorian and gave him a dirty look for jumping to violent and unnecessary conclusions. He must have guessed the expression behind her mask when she faced him.

"Guess we're even," He sighed, keeping his eyes on the three Stormtroopers ahead of him.

He guessed the expression correct, apparently.

Anthadme shook her head and returned her gaze back to the two Stormtroopers ahead of her.

"Excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm outweighs his discretion. This is Dr. Pershing, please lower your blasters," The old man said, the request directed at the Bounty Hunters.

"Tell them to lower theirs first," The Mandalorian said. Anthadme nodded to say she agreed with his request. The Mandalorian felt her nod. Knowing that she had his back made him feel more confident in his decisions.

It felt nice to know someone had his back. Period.

"We have you five to two," One of the Stormtroopers said with a cocky tone.

"I like those odds," The Mandalorian replied.

Anthadme smirked under her mask, a silent chuckle escaping her body. The chuckle vibrated her chest, allowing the Mandalorian to feel her laugh even though he couldn't hear it.

It was only then he realized how quickly they clicked into a battle-ready position, and how quickly they became comfortable as partners. He smiled under his mask but made no movement.

"He also said you two were expensive," The man continued, trying to entice them to lower their weapons, "Please sit down."

Everyone slowly lowered their weapons at the same time, but the Bounty Hunters kept their blasters in their hands. They sat down, resting their weapons in their lap for easy access.

The old man pulled a cloth from behind the table and opened it up, revealing two iron blocks.

"Beskar?" The Mandalorian asked, almost not believing it.

"Go ahead and check it. It's real. This is only a down payment. You can each have a comtono of Beskar if you deliver the asset," The old man said.

"Alive," Dr. Pershing added.

The old man sighed, "Bounty hunting is complicated. I'm willing to accept proof of termination for a lower fee."

The Doctor looked panicked, "That's not what we agreed on!"

"I'm simply being pragmatic," The old man responded, sounding like he didn't have a single care for the Doctor's feelings.

"Let's see the puck," The Mandalorian stated.

"Discretion dictates a less traditional agreement. I can only give you a tracking fob," the old man said as the Doctor handed a fob to the Mandalorian.

"What's the chain code?" the Mandalorian asked, raising a panel on his arm.

"I can only give you the last four digits," The old man said.

"Their age? That's all you can give me?" He asked.

Anthadme gripped her blaster harder as she contemplated the possibilities of what they were doing. The fact that this arrangement was _already_ less traditional made her even more concerned about the potential of dark outcomes. Something gripped her gut again, taking her breath.

"They are fifty years old. Between that, the data we have for their last reported position, and the fob... you two should make short work of this." The old man said.

The Mandalorian took the fob without a word. Anthadme grabbed the two pieces of Beskar from the table and the two Bounty Hunters stood. As they began to leave the room the old man spoke up once more.

"The Beskar belongs back in the hands of the Mandalorians. It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray, don't you agree?"

The Mandalorian paused. Anthadme mimicked his actions, stopping right next to him, and looked up to his helmet. The Mandalorian turned his head towards her. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or over his shoulder. Before she had time to question it, they left.

Once they were back on the steps they originally descended to get to the building, Anthadme stopped walking.

The Mandalorian stopped as well, turning his heel, "What?" he asked.

She held out both bars of Beskar for him to take.

"Half of that is yours," he said, only taking one.

Thoughts of her father came to her mind. Zealotry aside, she cared for him and his religion. She **respected **what he believed in. '_I just wish he respected me enough to stop pushing it on me' _She thought.

In a perfect world, she would go home, he would stop preaching to her, and they would all live happily.

In a perfect world, the Tusken Raiders would allow her to visit.

Instead of explaining her respect for the creed she signed '_belong_' and then pointed at him.

'_This belongs to you and your people'_ she what she meant.

She then pushed the Beskar at him once more.

He hesitated, "What will you be paid in? I can't afford to give you anything that amounts to that Beskar, let alone a comtono of them."

She pinched her pointer and thumb together, lowered her hand, and released her fingers to sign 'find'. She then motioned between the two of them to gesture '_us'._

'_We'll find something'_ is what she meant.

The Mandalorian wanted to question her. Why did she care about Mandalorian culture enough to give this up?

"I can't," he said, turning his back to her and walking up the stairs.

Anthadme let a small growl escape the back of her throat. She chucked the Beskar puck at his back. It hit the back of his armor and hit the ground.

When he turned to look at her she started to sign with fast and angry hands.

_'Contribute to the clan's welfare,' _she signed, reciting part of the Resol'nare - The Mandalorian Creed.

She pointed to the Beskar on the ground in front of him.

The Mandalorian's head jerked backward and slightly to the side in a mixture of shock and confusion. How did she...?

'_Education and armor. Self-defence, our tribe. Our language, our leader- All help us survive.'_ she signed, reciting the song Mandalorian children sang to prepare them to learn the Resol'nare.

She hoped he was catching the point that she understood his religion and respected it enough to know the Beskar _had_ to go with him.

"Are you-" He started. She knew he was asking if she was Mandalorian and she shook her head no.

With that answered, he asked the next question, "Dar'manda?"

**_**(Dar'manda - Mandalorian for "Soulless person who has no place in Manda, the Mandalorian afterlife." Given to those who are disgraced by removal of helmets, etc)**_**

The word stung, taking her back to the many times her adoptive Father called her the same word.

He always said she could still take the Creed and resolve herself from being Dar'manda, even if she was "late" in doing so. She wasn't "as lost as a Mandalorian who forgets or disrespects their Creed."

Her head hung at the thought and she signed '_Me'_ and '_Found'. _

The Mandalorian pieced the rest of it together on his own.

'_A Foundling who never took the Creed,_' He thought as he considered his own past.

The Mandalorians saved him from impending death, raised him, and taught him how to fight. There were no better "Thanks" he could have given them than to take up the Creed.

Why didn't she take the creed? Did she take care of her clan in another way? Was giving him this Beskar her way of giving back to the Mandalorians?

The Mandalorian realized if he stayed there to think about it he would only spiral into more questions. Assuming the bit of information he just learned was more than anyone else on Nevarro had learned, he decided not to push his luck any further.

He bent down, picked up the Beskar, and pocketed it, "Meet me at the shipyard around 8PM."

And he was gone.

Anthadme collected her Bantha from the front of the Cantina and headed straight for the shipyard. It would be hours before the Mandalorian got there, but she didn't care.

When they reached her ship Balosar laid on her stomach and rested her head in a crescent shape, facing toward her owner. Anthadme rested on the sand inside the crook of the animal's neck. Despite the heat of the desert, the Bantha offered a shade that kept the woman cool.

Before she realized it, she was sleeping.

The sound of steps wasn't enough to wake her. She was sleeping in a shipyard, the lul of the engines was enough to subdue her anxious mind into a restful sleep.

"Hey," a familiar robotic voice rang, waking her from her sleep and causing her to retrieve the blaster from her hip and point it at him, "It's just me."

Anthadme looked up from her position and put the blaster back in its place. She patted the Bantha's neck to move and Balosar groaned in protest. Ultimately the animal moved her head so Anthadme could stand, so she did.

"I hope you don't think we're taking that," The Mandalorian said, pointing to the Bantha, "There's no way it will fit on my ship."

Anthadme glared behind her mask and turned toward the Bantha. When she turned back toward the Mandalorian she pointed to her ship and then to herself.

_'We will take mine'_ is what she meant.

"No," he responded, "We take my ship. The Razor Crest can't be tracked - by anyone."

Anthadme huffed and pointed to her Bantha, signing the word '_important'. _

"I said no," he said in an authoritative tone that only irritated Anthadme more. He continuously reminded her of Cobb and she was beginning to hate him.

Balosar finally stood and nudged the woman's back with her nuzzle. Anthadme turned, looked up to Balosar's face, and frowned under her mask. She gave the animal a small pat before turning back to the Mandalorian.

She then signed the words '_sacred' _and _'important'._ To help the Mandalorian understand the role of a Bantha in a Tusken's life, she pointed to his Beskar armor and signed the same words again.

The Mandalorian sighed and assumed she was using her gift against him. Of all the things she _could_ have asked for, this was surely the smallest.

"Fine," he said, giving up, "Lead the way."

Balosar raised her head and happily groaned. Anthadme patted her sides and pressed a button on her wristband to open the ship. Once the doors were open she gestured for the Mandalorian to come inside.

The Bantha waited until they were both up the ramp before following after them.

The bottom of the hull was a ****fucking mess ****and smelled worse than anything the Mandalorian had ever experienced before.

There was no sign of the Bantha relieving itself and the sand on the floor was as fresh and clean as sand from Nervarro could be. It wasn't the dirt, it was the _Bantha_.

Balosar secured herself in the bottom of the hull, plopping down with a force that caused the ship to creak. The woman whipped her body around like an angry mother, pointed to the Bantha, and growled. The Bantha let out a soft groan in response.

Whether that was a 'Sorry' or some form of talking back, the Mandalorian didn't know.

Anthadme waved the Mandalorian over to a ladder, climbed to the top, and released an airlock door to another section of the ship. When he entered this part of the ship the smell of the Bantha stayed down below, much to his surprise.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings.

Lots of patterned blankets and tapestries covered most of the ship. They hung from the walls, covered the chairs, and littered the floors. Even the cushions shared the same embroidered patterns as the cloth, but in different colors.

Crude paint in symbols he didn't recognize covered the smooth surfaces. He felt like he walked into a new world. One he didn't belong in.

It smelled like cinnamon and peppers. How? He had no idea, but it was oddly relieving. It felt familiar and... homey? Somehow.

The woman immediately sat down in the piolets seat, started the engine, and raised the ship into the sky. As soon as the ship was out of the planet's atmosphere she put it in hyperspace.

For a while, the ship was silent.

After a few hours of flying the Mandalorian adjusted in his seat and spoke up, "So... _Can_ you speak?" he asked.

The woman threw the ship into autopilot and turned her seat around. She cocked her head to the side and signed, _'No important'._

"Except it is important," He said, irritated that she wasn't on the same wavelength as him, "We're supposed to be working together and I need to know what you're capable of in the event of an emergency."

Anthadme paused, tilting her head back as she contemplated his words. She looked up to the ceiling of her ship and thought about how much she hated the fact that he was right. It was very likely he _would_ need to hear her voice at some point.

On the other hand... Not talking was a decision she made to shelter herself, conceal herself, and be in control.

Talking made her feel exposed, vulnerable, and anxious. Not as bad as taking her mask of did, but it still took away some of the layers she put on to hide.

"Well?" He questioned, getting impatient.

Anthadme felt pressured and she didn't like it _'Please don't rush me'_ she signed and un-craned her neck to look at him. She pointed to his helmet, _'Privacy same. The reason not.'_

That statement told the Mandalorian she _could_ speak but chose not to. He was curious about why she compared the reasons Mandalorians hid their faces to the reason she didn't speak. It couldn't be a Tusken Raider thing, they definitely spoke.

She saw the confusion on his face, took a breath, and breathed out very slowly, "Yes. I can speak," She said. Slowly. Calmly. Firmly.

This caused the Mandalorian to show visible signs of shock with a slight twitch. Her voice was cracked, but warm and... Something else he couldn't put his finger on. Something that _sounded_ the same way cinnamon and peppers _smelled_.

"Why don't you speak?" He asked, still bewildered by the sound of her voice. He didn't catch himself asking the very personal question. If he had, he would have stopped himself before it came out.

_'Not important. Not required.'_ she thought and turned her seat back around, taking the ship out of autopilot, and continuing her drive.

She needed to occupy her brain because, for a moment there, she almost answered him. She felt like she _wanted_ to.

He, however, took her reaction as if she would _never_ answer him. So, he decided he would never ask again.

For once, he felt like the one on the other side of a mysterious mask that was asking too many questions.

Silently, he thanked her for not asking him as many questions as the others always did. He thanked her for being more similar to him than he was willing to admit.

Author's note:

Leave a comment to let me know what you think!


	4. Part 3 - The Mandalorian

**Arvala-7 **

Anthadme and the Mandalorian arrived on Arvala-7, the last known whereabouts of the asset. It was a desert planet covered in mountains.

When they exited the ship the Mandalorian scanned the area with his sniper weapon. Anthadme scanned the area to his back with a one-eyed binocular from her belt.

She heard the stomps of a creature and the grunts of the Mandalorian all too late. By the time she closed the binocular, shoved it into her pocket, and whipped around - something that took less than a second - he was being dragged by his arm.

Anthadme took a knee to steady her aim and withdrew her blaster. The creature's movements were too erratic for her to trust getting a shot without hurting the Mandalorian. His pained cries only stressed her out more.

The creature dropped when a dart hit its side, paralyzing it with an electric charge. Anthadme noticed another one of the creatures running toward them and shot it before it got too close to the Mandalorian.

"Thanks" The Mandalorian muttered, getting a grip on his injured arm when an alien creature came up, riding a tame version of the creature that attacked them.

"You are bounty hunters?" The man asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes," The Mandalorian breathed while Anthadme nodded.

"I will help you," He said, turning his heel, "I have spoken."

**Moisture Farm**

Anthadme, the Mandalorian, and a man they now knew as Kuiil, an Ugnaught male, arrived at a moisture farm. The Bounty Hunters assumed the farm belonged to Kuiil, but asked no questions.

Once they were inside the hut Kuiil offered them food and drinks. Both of them declined. It became very clear to the Mandalorian that removing her mask would be just as possible as him removing his. Just as difficult as getting her to talk.

The door consisted of a frame of metal you needed to step over to enter. Anthadme sad on this frame with her feet on the outside. One by one she removed her boots and emptied them of sand.

She grumbled to herself, making a mental note to get new boots after she got paid. Maybe she would have the Mandalorian buy her the best pair she could find and then fill her ship of fuel as a compromise for giving him all the Beskar. It wasn't nearly worth it, but she wouldn't mind pocketing a favor from a renowned Bounty Hunter.

"Many have passed through here. They seek the same one as you," The Ugnaught said, setting the tray of water, tea, and snacks on a shelf behind him.

"Did you help them?" The Mandalorian asked.

"Yes. They died," Kuiil responded.

"Well then, I don't know if we want your help," The Mandalorian said, causing the woman to turn her body around and point at him, sign _'stop'_, and shake her finger from side to side.

_'You stop this.' _was what she meant.

The Mandalorian made no response.

"Agree with your strange friend," Kuiil said, surely referring to her Tusken Raider helmet as the reason she was strange, "I can show you to the encampment where they are keeping what you're looking for."

The Mandalorian asked, "How much do you want?"

"Half" Kuill responded.

Anthadme snorted, causing both of the men to look at her.

"Half of the bounty to guide seems steep," The Mandalorian said, smirking at her reaction behind his mask.

"No. Half of the Blurrg you helped capture," Kuill corrected.

"The Blurrg?" The Mandalorian questioned.

Anthadme turned, signing _'Keeping is an option?' _with excited hands.

The Mandalorian shook his head, "You can keep them both," he said.

_'What is it with her and large pets?'_ he thought to himself.

"No, you will need one to ride. The way is impossible to pass without a Blurrg mount," Kuiil said.

Anthadme shook her head, slamming her fist into the flat part of her other hand to get their attention, _'No, I have Balosar'_

"Balosar?" Kuiil questioned, proving he knew sign language "Who is Balosar?"

"Her Bantha's name, I'm assuming," The Mandalorian said, "Looks like we only need one of the Blurrgs anyway."

_'I can fit more'_ Anthadme signed before she realized what she was offering.

The Mandalorian chose to ignore this, for now, and questioned Kuiil's advice, "I don't know how to ride a Blurrg."

"I have spoken," Kuiil said, making Anthadme snort again, this time with soft laughter in her throat.

The thought of the Mandalorian learning to ride a Blurrg, and failing, amused her. She couldn't _wait _to see that.

"Get rest. In the morning we start practice. There is a room to the right, it is yours. I have spoken," he said, heading for the room opposite his.

As soon as they were alone, the Mandalorian spoke up, sounding cocky, "So, you can't be bothered to answer personal questions, but you'd share a ride even when we have the opportunity to have our own?"

Anthadme flustered, frantically moving her hands without direction as she tried to figure out what to say. The Mandalorian chuckled.

_'Conserve space'_ She signed, flustered.

"Uh-huh. Sure," He said, shaking his head and pointing to the tray of food and drinks behind her, "When you're done with your disgusting boots, you should go eat. I won't go outside to eat until you come back in."

The offer shocked Anthadme enough that she completely disregarded his insulting comment.

A warmth filled her chest when she realized she would never need to look over her shoulder for him spying on her while her helmet was off - like she did with most other companions.

He understood the importance of it and she was beginning to look at him like he was less of a threat.

_'Thank you'_ she signed.

He nodded his head.

Anthadme paused because, suddenly, her words didn't feel like enough.

She slammed her fist into the flat side of her opposite hand to get his attention again.

When he looked over, she continued, _'Nice to not have to ask. Nice to not be scared of looking.'_

The words touched the Mandalorian, but he said nothing. He nodded again.

Anthadme smiled. She honestly forgot the Mandalorian wouldn't be able to see the smile because, in her mind - and just for that moment - he could see.

At least, she wouldn't care if he could.

She grabbed some food and drinks from the tray and walked outside with a pep in her step.

She was barefoot in the sand, her boots laid by the door. When she was about 30 feet from the door, in the direction of her ship, she removed her helmet and left it in the clearing.

While she walked she snacked on the granola-like bars the Ugnaught prepared and drank the processed water to wash it down.

For the first time in a long time, she felt _good._

When she reached her ship she pressed the button on her wrist band, opening the doors. Balosar happily groaned and exited the ship.

"Hey there, beautiful girl," The woman said.

The Bantha was excited to see her owner's face for the first time in a long time. The beast ran up and rubbed her face into her owner's chest.

The velocity of the Bantha caused Anthadme to fall backward, letting out a childish shriek. It had been too long since she let herself have fun.

Something about the familiar weather of Arvala-7.

Something about feeling the hair of her Bantha in her face and how it reminded her of her childhood.

Something about the happiness of her sacred pet made everything feel _just right_.

Something about this world made her feel like she was on the path she was supposed to be.

The Bantha pressed her face further into Anthadme's chest, causing the woman to disappear into the hair of the large beast.

Anthadme was now laying down on her back in the sand. The beast was rubbing her face up and down the length of her owner as a way to show affection. Anthadme happily yelled, tangling her arms up and into the creature's hair.

"HEY!" She heard a familiar robotic voice yell from across the valley. It was the Mandalorian and he sounded _scared_.

Her assumption of fear was proven right when she saw him withdrawing his sniper rifle.

Terrified, she pushed her Bantha's face up and off of her. Still concealed by the Bantha's hair, the woman started pushing the beast toward her ship.

By the time the first blaster shot went off the shot landed in a spot the Bantha was no longer standing.

"NO!" she screamed, pushing the Bantha harder.

The woman kept her face hidden within the Bantha's hair and revealed a single eye to inspect the situation. The Mandalorian was now standing in the center of the valley, about 100 feet away, with his sniper rifle at his side.

It was no longer aimed at the Bantha, and the threat was gone.

Anthadme turned her attention back to the Bantha and continued to usher her into the ship. When they were both safely inside she closed the door and slid her back down it.

A deep sigh exited her lungs.

Why? Why did he do that?

Loud, repeated banging woke Anthadme from a sleep she didn't realize she fell into. She took a moment to take in her scenery and found herself in the bottom hull of her ship with Balosar.

**Later**

"Hey," The Mandalorian's voice rang out, just loud enough for her to hear through the ship's door. Did he sound... defeated?

"You've slept forever," he yelled louder, the strength finding its way back into his voice, "Kuiil and I are ready to go. Your mask and boots are outside the ship door. We'll avoid looking this way until you reach us," He finished, waiting for a response.

The woman punched the door, hard to represent her anger, as a response. She heard the Mandalorian sigh before his footsteps left the ship.

Anthadme rolled her eyes, "Heard that before," she muttered as soon as she was sure he could not hear her. Part of her was sad she missed him falling off a Blurrg.

The woman used the button on her wristband to open the ship doors.

Sure enough, her boots and helmet were right there. She retrieved a fresh pair of wooly socks from a compartment by the door.

"Rak!" she ordered her Bantha as she exited the ramp of the ship, not bothering to check if the Bantha would do as she was told. She knew she would.

Anthadme put on her socks, boots, and helmet. Balosar finished exiting the ship when Anthadme stepped down from the ship's ramp

"Oru!" she called. The beast lowered her head.

Anthadme climbed onto her steed and kicked her heels gently into Balosar's side, "_Huurrugh!" _she ordered.

**_**((Rak - Tusken for "Move!". Oru - Tusken for "Down!" Huurugh - Tusken for "Run for it!"))**_**

The Bantha lunged forward, running towards Kuiil's farm. The woman had no interest in being late _or_ the reason they fell behind schedule.

When they neared the Mandalorian and Kuiil, already mounted on their Burrgs, she patted her Bantha to stop running. She approached them at a walking pace, nodding her head to the farmer when she neared.

The Mandalorian turned his head in shame and kicked his Blurrg into a walking pace.

"That's a mighty fine steed you have there," Kuiil said.

The woman smiled under her mask.

Kuiil dropped them off as close to the encampment as he was willing to go, telling them of his wish for peace in his valley.

Kuiil took the Bluurgs, and Anthadme's Bantha, back to the farm. He promised to look after the beast until she got back. Anthadme signed to Kuiil that, should anything happen to her, he needed to take the Bantha to a Tusken tribe and tell them the rider died.

He agreed.

When Kuiil mentioned never meeting a Mandalorian before, but praising them for their well-known battle techniques, the Mandalorian found himself looking at the woman again.

Thoughts rushed back to his mind. How she knew so much about Mandalorian culture. How everyone else, including Kuiil, only seemed to know rumors and legends. How she cared about the clan enough to give up payment of a large bounty. How she was ****not**** Mandalorian.

Anthadme hitting her fist into the flat part of her opposite hand. She was standing in front of him, waving her hand in front of his helmet.

_'Hello?"'_she waved, signing _'The plan?'_

Before he could think to say anything, two words shot from his mouth, "I'm sorry."

The words took the woman by surprise. Her response was to take a step back and drop her hands to her side. The Mandalorian waited for her response.

His words already came out, he might as well see where it goes from here.

She looked down at her feet for a moment, took a deep breath in, and continued signing, _'I think we should use the element of surprise. You check how many, I'll head down the right side of the cliff. You the left.'_

The Mandalorian sighed, realizing she wasn't going to accept his apology - or even acknowledge it. He climbed to the edge of the cliff, withdrew his binoculars, and inspected the area.

Before he could even get a full report to Anthadme, a Bounty Droid came through the front of the entrance and demanded the people inside to "Release the asset."

Blaster shots fired everywhere and the encampment closed all of the doors to the inside of the building.

The Mandalorian turned to update the Tusken woman about what was happening to find that she was already gone. Groaning, he followed the original plan and descended down the left side of the cliff.

****A slight fast-forward ****

"It appears we are trapped. I will initiate the self-destruct sequence," the IG unit said from behind a pillar close to the same one Anthadme and the Mandalorian hid behind.

The woman grabbed the Mandalorian's arm to express her concern, shaking her head frantically.

"Do NOT self-destruct!" The Mandalorian yelled, patting the woman's hand before removing it from his arm and facing the droid.

"Manufacturer's protocol dictates that I can not be captured. I must self-destruct," the IG unit insisted.

"DO NOT SELF-DESTRUCT," the Mandalorian yelled, heading for the panel next to the locked door, "You two, cover me!"

As if those words restored the faith in the droid's system, it drew its blaster and helped Anthadme keep the shots off the Mandalorian's back. Enemies were dropping left and right.

Up until a shot nicked Anthadme's leg.

Her cry caused the Mandalorian to check back for just a second. This, combined with the opening she created by not paying attention, caused a shot to reach him. It landed on the panel the Mandalorian was working on, sent sparks flying everywhere, and forced him to retreat back to the pillar with her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, bending down to check the wound of the woman who was also bent over, gripping it.

The woman looked up and nodded, wiping the blood from her hand onto her robes, and standing straight. The Mandalorian, not taking her word for it, checked the wound. Once he confirmed it to just be a graze, he straightened as well.

The trio peaked around the pillars they were hiding behind to watch the enemies finish setting up a mounted machine gun.

"I will initiate self-destruct," the IG unit said once more, causing Anthadme to shift all her weight to her good leg and kick the unit with the other.

The IG unit, unable to catch its balance in time and falling into the enemy's sights, caught a shot directly to its central processing unit - the head.

The Mandalorian took a moment to process what he just saw and wondered if she would ever do the same to him.

She looked to him, huffed, and signed, _'Droid. Idiot. Danger.'_

"Couldn't agree with you more," he said before rounding his pillar and shooting a grappling hook from his gauntlet.

The hook landed on the machine and the Mandalorian pulled, causing the man controlling it to fly off. Anthadme shot him so he could not get back on the turret.

Once again the duo found themselves each silently thanking the other for naturally falling into the perfect-thinking battle team.

The Mandalorian ran for the turret, taking control of it, and leveling their enemies with a quick swoop of the compound. Once he was sure there were no more enemies the Mandalorian let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He got down from the turret and returned to Anthadme. There was a moment of silence while the two of them caught their breath and contemplated how they would get inside of the building.

"I meant it," He said, continuing his apology from earlier.

Anthadme rolled her eyes so hard he could read it in her body language. Her entire body rolled with her annoyance, but he didn't care.

"Look, I said I wouldn't do something, and I did it. I need you to know how important it is for me to keep my word. I need you to know I made a mistake, I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

Anthadme rested on his last words for a moment. She understood the importance of honor to a Mandalorian. She understood _why_ it was so important to him, but something else confused her.

In the last sentence, he almost made it sound like it _mattered_ if it did or didn't happen again. As if, after this job was complete, they'd ever give the other the time of day.

They wouldn't, she was sure of this.

_'Why?'_ she signed _'Why did you do it?'_

"Because I heard you scream. I didn't" He paused, trying to find the best way to say what his brain meant.

_'Because I couldn't imagine you would be making those noises from happiness. It didn't seem like something you would do, but I was wrong'_ he thought.

Instead of that, he said, "When I heard you scream and saw your Bantha pressing you into the ground I thought something went sour. I wanted to protect you."

Anthadme absorbed his words and signed _'Kill. Bantha. Bad.'_

"What?" he asked, "You ****wanted**** me to kill your Bantha?"

She shook her head and repeated the signs.

"Your Bantha ****was**** trying to kill you?"

"No, you Bantha fodder!" She yelled, realizing speech was the only way to get out what she needed to, "Do you realize how sacred Bantha's are to Tusken tribes?" she questioned, slowly walking toward him with her finger pointed at him, "Do you realize what would have happened had you killed my Bantha?"

The Mandalorian found himself, once again, getting lost in the way her voice reminded him of comfort. Of cinnamon. Of peppers.

He heard what she said, but the distraction forced him to take a minute to formulate his words. She remained patient.

"No" he eventually admitted.

"It a Tusken dies," she said, "The Bantha is killed to join the Tusken in death."

"Would they have killed ****you**** if your Bantha dies? Is that why you take him everywhere?" The Mandalorian questioned.

Anthadme shook her head, "First off, she. All Bantha's given to Tusken children match the gender of the child. Second off, no. If a Bantha dies before the owner the Bantha is placed in a sacred burial ground where-" Anthadme froze, remembering she was never allowed to return to the Tusken Raider clans of Tatooine.

Her Bantha would never have a proper resting place. The thought crushed her heart, making her shoulders visibly sink.

"I'm sorry I almost killed your Bantha. I wasn't aware of what it meant to you. I'll keep an open mind to the way you two ****play****" he said, adding a sarcastic emphasis to the word 'play', "And keep an eye on ****her**** safety a little closer. It sounds like losing a Bantha is similar to losing a child?"

"Yes," she responded, sounding defeated, "When Tuskens are married, their Banthas are mated to generate new Banthas for the children. When a Bantha dies it means a child may miss out on a sacred part of life," her voice was drained, deflated.

It was this moment she realized she was talking to this Mandalorian more than she had talked to anyone since she left home all those years ago.

He knew more than anyone who didn't come from her past and it made her uncomfortable how easily it came out of her mouth.

"Did you see?" She asked, holding her breath because she was scared of the response. She knew he wouldn't lie, somehow she knew he wouldn't lie.

"No," he said, quickly.

On the other hand, the Mandalorian had different thoughts. Thoughts of the woman eventually giving up Bounty Hunting, getting married, having a few kids, and mating her Bantha crossed his mind. He imagined her taking her helmet off, kissing her family goodnight, and reading stories over small bedframes. It seemed like everything she _should_ do, and yet also everything she _shouldn't_ do.

The idea of it made him both happy and frustrated. He didn't know why.

"Will you talk more?" He asked, his voice sounding small.

The woman looked over to him and tried to lock eyes with him through their respective helmets the best she could. She had no idea what she was actually looking at.

"Only when we are alone," She finally said.

They already shared so many words, there was no reason to keep that protective barrier.

The Mandalorian thought of many things to say, but all of them made him sound too eager to hear her voice more often. Instead, he walked back to the turret, mounted it, and shot the door down.

**A slight fast-forward**

Upon entering the building the final enemy made himself known and promptly got shot by Anthadme.

The Mandalorian nodded to her in thanks before calling out, "Anybody else?"

When no one made themselves known the duo followed the beeping of the fob. This leads them to a small stack of storage containers, varying in sizes. The Mandalorian held the fob up to the egg-shaped container in the center, barely covered by a net, and the tracker went crazy.

At the site of the egg-shaped container, Anthadme's vision blurred.

She lost track of her steps and grabbed onto the Mandalorian's shoulder as she stumbled forward. It was the same feeling she got before entering the room of Stormtroopers, but somehow this time she was filled with a sense of... euphoria?

A euphoria masked with an overwhelming amount of debilitating nausea, confusion, and blurred vision.

"Hey, hey," He said, grabbing the sides of her shoulders with both of his hands and steading her. He was still to her side, but now his arms were fully wrapped around her shoulders to help her maintain her balance and footing.

"Are you alright? Were you shot again?" he asked, inspecting the wound on her leg. He couldn't get a good angle to look at her leg ****and**** hold her up. He wanted to make sure she wasn't loosing too much blood from something he thought wasn't that serious.

She wasn't.

"Something," she paused, swallowing the rock growing in her throat.

Her mind scrambled, language became a blur, and understanding was a fleeting ability, "Skaterkst," she whispered, entering a trance-like state from being this close to the container. Why, she didn't know, "Trrru'uunqa! Skaterkst."

((**_**Skaterkst - Tusken for "Bad". Trru'uunqa - Tusken for an expression of aggravation**_**))

"I don't speak Tusken, Tus-" He said, cutting himself off when he realized he had nothing to call her but the names Greef used, "You're gonna have to use the common tongue and tell me what the hell is going on!"

He was frustrated, she could tell. She could hear it. Feel it from his body. The parts of her body that he touched with his hands and arms seemed to absorb all of the emotions he was feeling.

The fear. The confusion. The aggravation.

Her soul yearned for it. It was hungry and wanted to eat him whole. She wanted to consume these emotions entirely and lick her fingers clean.

Anthadme was too lost in this brand new experience of her body to even realize she was thinking like an uncontrolled mad woman. None of it registered as an inherently "bad" thing to happen.

Consuming life suddenly felt natural, and so it was all she wanted to.

The Mandalorian's fear rose when he realized her body went _extremely cold, extremely fast._

Without a thought, and completely ignoring the Mandalorian who was the only reason she was standing right now, the woman reached forward and pushed the button on the front of the container.

The sight caused both of the Bounty Hunters to lose track of the current events and get lost in the sight before them.

A small, green, wrinkly, and big-eared baby.

Anthadme suddenly found the strength to stand on her own. It was like looking at the child filled her with strength.

Upon doing so, the Mandalorian let her go. She instinctively reached her hand out to the child, who grabbed her finger in response.

When the little one's three fingers wrapped around one of her own, her legs dared to buck out. The purity of the child was something she had never tasted before.

Tasted? Is that what this was?

The child's feelings of confusion, hope, fear, and pureness seeped into her skin like a dry sponge thrown into the ocean. Tears formed in the woman's eyes.

This could not be real. How was something like this real?

Were the Tuskens telling the truth all along? Was there _actually_ something special about her?

She realized the fear within the child came from the sight of her feral, and quite terrifying, mask. Without thinking - No - Without caring, she removed the mask.

The Mandalorian turned his back quickly, trying to preserve the wall they have between them, "What the hell are you doing?" He yelled, frantic at her sudden decisions and clear displays of insanity.

"He was scared of it," she said. The words came off of her tongue matter-of-factly, but soft. Like she had no doubt she could read this child's mind and he ****told**** her he was scared of her mask.

The thought made the Mandalorian pause. He took a moment to steady his breath before speaking up, "Can I-"

"Yes," she answered, somehow knowing he was going to ask if he could turn even though her face was exposed.

He turned, seeing the woman's entire face. Something about it felt wrong or similar to seeing another Mandalorian's face. He knew she was not Mandalorian, but something about seeing her bare face, covered in tears, made him feel like something sacred had been ripped from her.

Something he should not be looking at right now.

It made him feel dirty.

He saw the hope in her eyes. The confusion. The pureness. He didn't know, nor would he be able to assume, that she was reflecting these emotions****from ****the child.

All he saw was a beautiful woman woefully entranced by an alien baby. A beautiful woman he felt like he was breaking laws looking at.

Seeing her, crying over this child, made him realize she would not be able to complete the job. He contemplated shooting her right then and there.

He could make it fast. Kill her Bantha. Bury them together...

The thought left a crushing weight in his chest that only amplified at the sight of the child's hand wrapped around her finger. He imagined her reading the child to sleep over a small mattress.

Then he imagined the child mounted on someone's wall. This was an asset. An enemy. He needed to remember that. They needed to get it back to the client as fast as possible.

Resolve was wavering.

When the child removed his hand from the woman's finger it was like a factory reset sparked in her brain.

She quickly wiped the tears from her face and looked down at the mask nuzzled between her hip and arm. There was a brief moment of horror in her expression. The Mandalorian wondered if she even realized what just happened.

It made him feel dirtier for having seen her face.

The events that transpired flashed before her eyes in the matter of a second. Something in her mind told her that everything was going to be okay.

Something told her everything she did was ****right.**** Everything she did was ****exactly what she needed to.****

She didn't know where these feelings were coming from, but she guessed it was coming from the same place where everything else that just happened came form.

Anthadme took a deep breath and looked at her bounty partner. He locked eyes with her, she didn't know it. The sight caused them both to feel a blanket of shame wrap around them.

Both of them chose to ignore it.

"We," she said. It came out weak. She cleared her throat before continuing, "We have to get him back to Nevarro as soon as possible."

At least they had the same thoughts there. The Mandalorian put off the idea of killing her, for now.

Anthadme put her mask back on her head and walked out of the door, not bothering to wait for the Mandalorian or the child to catch up.


	5. Part 4 - Who are you?

Author's note:

I hope you enjoy!

I'm working on creating a Spotify playlist of all the songs I listen to when I'm writing chapters. Let me know if you're interested in having a link!

**Arvala-7 **

Anthadme walked next to the hovercraft that held the child. It was mesmerizing to watch all the lizards peak their heads from behind the canyon rocks. All of them seemed to be attracted to the same thing.

_The child._

The woman looked down at the child and got lost in her thoughts. Did these lizards feel the same thing she did earlier? Where did he come from? Why were they paying so much to have him returned dead ****or**** alive? Why did he have so many guards and an entire compound protecting him?

Her anxiety disappeared as soon as it came. A wave of calm crashed over her as the child floating next to her cooed in her direction. A non-existent voice told her to be calm, this was okay.

Where that feeling came from, she didn't know.

The Mandalorian walked ahead of them and he never once looked back at the two of them. The only time he made a reaction was when all of the lizards surrounding Anthadme and the child scattered at the same time.

Both Hunters froze in their tracks, causing the child's hovercraft to stop as well. The baby looked up to the woman, reaching up to her with a small hand as a soft coo left his lips.

Anthadme ignored him, scanning the area just as the Mandalorian did.

"Close his hatch," she ordered.

The Mandalorian, still caught off by the sound of her voice, did as he was told.

_Then it was absolute fucking chaos._

Men and women were coming from behind the rocks at every angle.

They carried swords, sluggers, basters, knuckles, and more. The variety of weapons was overwhelming and Anthadme had trouble deciding what weapon would be the best to draw.

She took a second to scan the battle.

The Mandalorian drew his blaster****and**** his sniper rifle. She watched him shock a man with his rifle, but she knew his gun was better ****as a gun**** than it was as a shock stick.

As soon as an enemy fell between her and the Mandalorian she made her move. The enemy was still on his hands and knees when she got a running start. She placed a hand on her opponents back and used the leverage to swing herself over him and towards the Mandalorian.

When she found her feet - and her balance - she withdrew her Gaffii stick, flipped the electricity on, and took her place behind the Mandalorian.

Anthadme dug her right foot into the ground and twisted her rotation while pressing her back firmly into the Mandalorians back. This forced the two of them to shift positions where they essentially did a 180 and changed fronts.

As soon as they were comfortable in their new footing Anthadme used the electricity of her Gaffii stick to shock a melee attacker. The same one that caused her to rotate the battlefield to begin with.

The Mandalorian realized her battle plan and how she had helped him. He knew exactly how they would continue this fight. He put his small blaster away and started using his rifle to shoot targets that were too far away for Anthadme to hit.

The two of them danced in a circle killing their opponents like something from a legacy. Their bodies molded in their different shapes perfectly, allowing the two of them to utilize their partner's talents to their fullest ability.

The Mandalorian could twist his body and shoot an enemy behind him knowing Anthadme would definitely duck low enough to not get hit and give him a clear shot.

Anthadme was small enough to twist her body under the Mandalorian's arms, snake to his front, and knock an enemy down through their knees before returning to his back if she needed too.

It was...

It was something.

One of the enemies started towards the baby, but both Hunters caught on at the same time.

The Mandalorian pressed a button on his arm that allowed him to move the hovercraft and started to throw his hand to the right. Anthadme, seeing another enemy coming from the right, snaked her arm up the cook of his elbow and pulled it toward her_ on the left_ instead.

The child first moved right, almost in the enemy's reach, and then jolted to the left, out of the enemy's reach. The Mandalorian pressed the button to cease control of movement, Anthadme unlinked her arm, and the Mandalorian immediately shot the enemy.

While they were distracted with that fiasco, a melee attacker got too close on the opposite side of them.

With one good swing, the enemy first sliced through the Mandalorian's arm and then Anthadme's. They both winced, but very quickly rotated their positions so Anthadme could be in the front where she jammed the Traang of her Gaffii into his temple.

_****(Translation: Traang = The bent edge of the Gaffii)****_

The blood splashing on her face gave her a headrush of power. It was the same rush of emotions from, like meeting Stormtroopers or the child, but in a different way.

A wicked smile plastered across her face and she broke the battle formation by removing her back from the Mandalorians.

Worried she had been captured, the Mandalorian whipped around just to see her taking matters into her own hands. She ferally twisted and ducked around the battlefield, swinging her Gaffii stick and killing her targets.

The sight both intrigued ****and**** terrified him. In his mind, he started comparing traveling with her to having a feral pet that was ready to snap at you at any given moment.

A few more kills, and it was over.

Anthadme stopped, holding her Gaffii with both hands, back slightly haunched, and breathed deeply. She looked like a mountain lion resting over a new kill, waiting for the energy to eat the spoils.

The Mandalorian, needing to peel his eyes away from the woman, looked around the clearing. His eyes caught something bright under one of the dead bodies.

Anthadme, with other concerns, walked over to the child's hovercraft. The rush of battle was still fresh on her tongue. She felt rejuvenated, full of energy, and ready to fight more. She turned the electricity of her Gaffii off and pressed the button on the front of the egg to reveal the baby.

Her thoughts halted.

He was scared of her again, _she could feel it._

The Mandalorian's voice rang out before she could do anything, "Come look at this," He said, pressing a button on his arm to make the hovercraft follow him again. The child slowly hovered over to him.

Anthadme followed, putting the Gaffii stick on her back, and looked at the device in his hand.

A tracking fob.

_'Hunters?'_ she signed.

The Mandalorian nodded. They were alone and he didn't understand why she wasn't speaking to him verbally, but he wasn't going to press it.

_'We'_she paused, looking around at all of the dead bodies and realizing how many Bounty Hunters they had just killed, _'Trouble?' she _signed.

"Have you ever been on the same job as someone else?" The Mandalorian questioned.

She shook her head no.

"All is fair in bounty and war."

****Later that night****

Twice the child attempted to escape his hover pad and touch an injured arm. First the Mandalorian's, then Anthadme's.

The Mandalorian was the first to put him back in his hovercraft. When Anthadme put him back after the second escape, the Mandalorian pressed the button to lock him inside.

The sight of his closed pod made her frown from under her mask, but she knew he would be safer. If he could get out of the hovercraft who _knows _how much trouble he could get into while they slept.

Without a word, Anthadme sat right next to the Mandalorian, facing the opposite direction.

She took the tool from his hand, pulled his right arm into her lap, and started working on cauterizing his wound.

"You don't have to-" He started, growing flustered when he realized his hand rested on her right thigh.

"Shut up," she said, "You will do mine next, yes?"

He sighed, "Sure."

When Anthadme finished her work she stood, went to the other side of him - still facing the opposite direction - and sat back down. She slid the fur sweater (long enough to reach her ankles, ref pic in Part 1) off of her shoulders and let it pool around her on the sand. This revealed a beige dress that had had thick shoulder pieces, but no sleeves.

The Mandalorian took her right arm into his lap and allowed her hand to rest on his right thigh. As he was cauterizing her wound he realized it was the same arm that had the star branding on her wrist. He paused for a moment when he noticed, but tried to get back to what he was doing before she could notice that's what had happened.

"Family," she said, turning her masked head in his direction.

He pulled the tool from her flesh because he didn't want to hurt her by not paying attention to what he was doing. "It's a family marking?" he asked, returning his gaze.

She laughed. To him, her laugh sounded like honey. No, molten lava. Maybe hot glass? Something thick, captivating, and fierce.

"I guess you can say that," she said, looking away from him and at the dirt between her legs where she sat.

"You don't have to tell me," He said. He was sure she had said enough already. More than she told anyone else on Nevarro, anyway. A thought that came to his mind _frequently._

She paused, coming to the same realization, and wondered how far she could get with her _own_ questions.

"Were you born a Mandalorian?" she asked.

He paused briefly, thinking about the question, and went back to cauterizing her wounds. For a moment she thought he was doing that as a way to say he wasn't going to answer.

"No," He said, "I was a Foundling. My parents were killed. The Mandalorians saved me, took me in," He paused, finishing the last bits of his work, "I took the Creed as soon as I was old enough to thank them."

Anthadme felt that he finished cauterizing her, but remained still. She was thinking too hard to realize she was supposed to move. Panic set in her mind.

Was that how people thanked each other? Was religion a favor that people traded as favors? Was ****she**** the asshole for not taking the Creed when her Father asked her too? Was ****she**** the asshole for being mad at the Tusken Raiders for killing Jido, her original adoptive father of the Tusken Tribe? This whole time... was she just overreacting?

The Mandalorian saw she was lost in her own thoughts. He wanted to pull her from it, but he had nothing to call her by. He refused to use the same ones Greef Karga did.

Something about "Hey", or anything of the sort, felt wrong. He decided to let her thoughts run their course. Obviously Mandalore was a tricky subject for her and he had enough respect for the culture to allow her to process her feelings fully.

The woman realized it ****must**** be ridiculous to assume these things. Of ****course,**** her father was an asshole for forcing his religion and the Tuskens were just as bad for killing a man over a religion.

"You only took the Creed to thank them?" She asked in a tone just above a whisper, pulling herself from her thoughts and retrieving her arm from his lap, "Did you feel obligated to?"

He wondered how much of the question was curiosity and how much was a projection of herself, "I wanted to. At that point, the Mandalorians had raised me for most of my life. It was everything I knew and where I felt most comfortable. Now it is just as much a part of me as my own flesh and bone."

Anthadme nodded, putting her arms back to lean on them as she stretched her legs forward. She could understand that. It was the same reason she went back to Tusken culture so easily when she left Tatooine.

She was still sitting next to the Mandalorian. They were still sitting in opposite directions. He was sitting up with his knees propped up to hold a piece of armor he was repairing. With the angle of her lean, they had a great view of one another.

Anthadme took off her mask, making the Mandalorian freeze again. Once it was comfortably sitting next to her she retracted back to her comfortable stance.

The Mandalorian held the electronic tool in his hand, rested his elbows, and looked at her, "How does a Tusken Raider get so involved with Mandalorian culture that she learns parts of the Creed-"

"Not parts," She said, craning her head to the side - closer to him - with a breath as if she had no care in the world.

"What?" He asked, confused, "But, when we first met you signed-"

"_Ba'jur, beskar'gam. Ara'nov, aliit. Mando'a bal Mand'alor- An vencuyan mhi. _Verd ori'shya beskar'gam, a Mando'ad naas ures Resol'nare," She said, putting her finger up like a teacher and setting her back straight to mimic her father for this last part, "Mando'ad draar digu"

(Translation: Mandalorian: **_**Ba'jur, beskar'gam. Ara'nov, aliit. Mando'a bal Mand'alor- **_**_**An vencuyan mhi.**__ = Education, armor, self-defense, clan, our language, our leader- All help us survive. _

_**Verd ori'shya beskar'gam, a Mando'ad naas ures Resol'nare **__= A man is more than armor, but a Mandalorian is nothing without the Creed. _

****Mando'ad draar digu ****= A Mandalorian never forgets.)

The Mandalorian's eyes went wide. She knew more than the Creed Mandalorians taught their children. At least, she knew way more about the Creed than anyone he ever met that _wasn't_ a Mando'a. Hell, even some Mando'a were lost to the language of Mandalore.

Anthadme relaxed on the backs of her arms once more. Why was it so easy to open up to the Mandalorian?

Maybe they were both starved of this, but similar enough that it just felt... right

"Who ****are**** you?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion and shock.

"I am merely a cast out Tusken Raider who became a Foundling that rejected the Creed," she said, opening her eyes to look at him, "Does that upset you?"

The Mandalorian allowed the words to sink in. He would be lying if he said the words _weren't _upsetting, but it didn't reflect anything against her personally in his eyes. He knew the Creed wasn't meant for everyone. Plenty of times he watched his own friends not swear by the Creed and leave the clan. He _did_ wonder how one can get kicked out of a Tusken Raider clan, but that was a question for another time.

There were a million things he could have said. Tons of different things he could have asked. Instead, he opted for the one that felt right for him.

"This is the way."

The response shocked Anthadme. She wished that was the reaction of everyone who didn't want to be apart of a religion someone else belonged to.

She wished it was something her father would say.

She wished she would stop comparing this Mandalorian to her father.

It was very clear he was nothing like him.

Din didn't know when the girl fell asleep, but the sounds of her breathing comforted him. Whether that was because he knew he was in the presence of another talented fighter or... something else, was beyond him.

He looked over to the hovercraft and pressed a button on his arm. The egg opened to reveal the sleeping baby and he sighed.

To one side of him, he had an asset that was giving him second thoughts.

To the other side of him, he had possibly the most intriguing woman he had ever met softly snoring in his ears.

The man gathered the pooled furs from around the woman's body and twisted them. Once they were free of the piles he covered the woman's upper body with them. He knew he wouldn't be able to pull them from under her legs without waking her, but he could at least do this.

She flinched in her sleep, the muscles of her lower back stretching and contracting before her body relaxed once more.

He pressed the button on the child's hovercraft to close the lid and laid back on the sand.

Inches from her, facing the same direction at opposite angles - Like Ying and Yang - he fell asleep.


	6. Part 5 - A promise is a promise

Author's note:

Don't worry.

**Arvala-7**

"HEY!" Anthadme screamed when she saw her ship laying stipped at the end of a Jawa Sandcrawler.

The Mandalorian slammed himself behind a rock and pulled her down with him, "Shut up!" he yelled, "We have a better chance of taking them out if they don't see us coming."

Anthadme tried to settle the anger boiling in her chest and nodded her head. He withdrew his rife and she pulled her blaster from her hip.

"I don't think this thing is going to reach that far," she huffed, throwing her blaster to the side.

"Hey," He snapped, sternly, "Pick it up and get ready. Once I start firing you need to run down there and shoot as many as you can."

She nodded, "Do you understand?" he asked, demanding actual confirmation so he could ensure she wasn't going to do anything stupid out of her rage.

"Yeah," she groaned, grabbing her weapon and looking back to the child, "Close his hatch."

The Mandalorian pushed a button on his wrist and the child's egg closed.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

The Mandalorian made the first fire and Anthadme bypassed running around the canyon by jumping right off the edge. As soon as her feet hit sand she bent her knees, guiding her feet through the sand to avoid obvious rocks, and slid down the canyon.

When she reached the bottom she withdrew her blaster and began firing at the Jawas, "A beton nya mombay m'bwa!" she yelled, fury obvious in her voice.

_(Translation: Jawa - This is mine! All mine!)_

The Jawa's screamed incoherently as they ran for their life and back toward their Sandcrawler.

"Ny shootogawa! Ny shootogawa! Ny shootogawa!" a Jawa from the top of the ramp screamed.

_(Jawa - Don't fire!)_

Anthadme raised her hand to the Mandalorian, "Hold!" she called up the canyon. His fires paused.

"Tandi kwa!" she yelled, pointing to her ship.

_(Jawa - Give it back!)_

The Mandalorian took advantage of the time it was taking her to negotiate to move down the canyon.

"Mob un loo?" The Jawa asked.

_(Jawa - How much are you giving?)_

"MOMBAT M'BWA. M'BWA!" Anthadme yelled back, getting frustrated with the idiots.

_(Jawa - That is mine! Mine!)_

"Omu'sata. Mob un loo?!" The Jawa yelled back, matching her frustration.

_(Jawa- Shut up! How much are you giving!)_

Anthadme let out a large, ferocious scream and threw her blaster to the ground. She removed her Gaffii from her back and flipped on the VibroBlade.

"Tandi kwa ra'ti theek hkeek nkulla!" She yelled so hard the pressure in her face made it go entirely red and her vision ebbed for a second. The Jawa's couldn't see from under her mask but, hopefully, the mask was scarier than her actual face.

_(Jawa- Give it back and fucking run or I will curse your whole family!)_

"Hey! What's going on?" The Mandalorian asked, demanding an update.

"Mambay!" The Jawa screamed, laughing at her yelling, "Etee uwanna waa. M'tuske un! Ysas?"

_(Jawa- Okay! I want to trade! The Beskar for this. You agree?)_

"Fat fucking chance you low life piece of shit!" Anthadme yelled, losing her last bit of patience for the Jawas as she made a run for them.

"Tell me what's going on!" The Mandalorian yelled, wrapping his arm around the woman's waist to prevent her from running off and making the situation worse.

"THEY WANT TO TRADE," she screamed at him, turning around to look him in the face. She didn't realize how close that put them together with his arms still around her.

She was too angry to realize it anyway, "They want **your fucking armor** for my ship!"

"Not a chance," he said, loosening his grip on her as she slipped out of his arms and took a small step back.

"I KNOW," she screamed, her anger rising again.

The Mandalorian sighed, "Will they accept anything else?"

Anthadme took a deep breath, her anger still hot, and turned to the Jawas.

**A slight fast-forward**

Of all the things the Jawas **could** have asked for, a stupid Mudhorn egg was what they settled for.

Anthadme and the Mandalorian walked into a small clearing that was dipped into the base of a canyon. There was _so much mud everywhere._

The woman thought about the Tusken Raiders and how they would believe this place to be sacred for its ability to maintain moisture, even in a desert.

"Must be in the cave," he said, turning the lights on his helmet on, "Will you watch the kid?"

"What?" she questioned, "Hell no. I'm fighting."

The Mandalorian looked at her without saying a word.

"How is that fair? If we needed a babysitter we should have left him with Kuiil."

"And leave the asset in the care of someone other than us? What happens if another Bounty Hunters show up?" The Mandalorian asked, sarcastically.

Anthadme grumbled and opened her wristband, "Fine. Unsync your arm so I can sync him to mine."

The Mandalorian opened his panel and hit a few buttons. Her panel lit up and she connected her wristband to the hovercraft. She looked over to the child who cooed at her.

"Yeah?" she said, walking over to him, squatting down, and touching his nose with her finger, "I'd rather get stuck with me too."

The baby laughed and looked at the Mandalorian, reaching out to him, "Wow, traitor."

The Mandalorian looked at the kid for a moment and turned on his heel, "I'll be back shortly. Just don't run off," he said. '_And don't steal our bounty'_ he thought.

Anthadme gave him a sarcastic salute and turned her attention back to the baby. She wondered why he wasn't giving her the same strange sensations he was earlier, even when she touched his face.

She took her thumb and traced the center of his face, forehead to chin, over and over again. The child leaned into her touch, cooing happily, and relaxing.

She smiled. She may have even gotten him to go to sleep too.

But the moment was short-lived when the Mandalorian, quite literally, flew out of the cave with a loud grunt. Behind him was the largest Mudhorn the woman had ever seen, and it was running right at her and the child.

She yelped, pushing the child's hovercraft out of the way and jumped in the opposite direction.

"Get him **out of here**!" The Mandalorian yelled, the last three words louder than the rest.

"Can't leave you here with this thing!" She yelled back, removing her Gaffii stick from her back.

The Mudhorn twirled its head, roared, and charged at the Mandalorian. Anthadme watched as he tried to shock the Mudhorn, but its skin was resistant.

She cursed and, instead of turning on the electroshock, she turned on the Vibroblade. She had been using it so much since the last charge that she honestly didn't know how long it would last.

The Mudhorn, irritated that the Mandalorian shocked it, picked him up with its horn and slammed him down into the ground.

The child let out a cry at the sight of the Mandalorian's armor cracking. The Mudhorn heard this and turned around, starting a new charge.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Anthadme panicked and threw her Gaffii stick behind her. She realized she needed to move the child away before the Mudhorn could hit him and opened the panel to her wristband.

"MOVE" The Mandalorian yelled.

The Mandalorian's voice panicked her because she assumed the Mudhorn was getting too close to the child. She pushed the control button of the child's hovercraft and whipped her hand to the side to move the child further away from the fight.

As she was swinging her arm she realized her mistake. The Mudhorn was charging **her**, not the child. It slammed directly into her chest, lifted her from the air, and pinned her to the ground the same way it did to the Mandalorian.

Except she wasn't wearing Beskar.

The woman groaned. The Mudhorn, in a similar fashion as before, twirled its head and let out a roar. When it did, the Mandalorian yelled.

"Hey, you soggy sack of fur! Over here!" He yelled, taunting the beast.

Anthadme looked up from where she laid on the ground to see the Mandalorian could barely stand on his feet.

He was there. On one knee. Holding a small Vibroblade.

That was it.

Only then did it hit Anthadme that she had no way to defend herself if the Mudhorn came back.

She felt around the immediate area for her Gaffii stick and couldn't find it. When tried to roll over to continue her search she was met with the most intense pain she had ever felt in her life.

Looking down was a horrifying experience.

The Vibroblade tip of her Gaffii stick was still on... and sticking out of her stomach. She landed on her Gaffii and now there was a cannon ball-sized hole in her torso.

_'Fucking figures. Of all the things to take me out, my own fucking Gaffii...'_

The woman lifted her arm, trying to lift the panel of her wristband. Her whole body felt broken and moving was a **chore.**

She needed to close the hatch on the child's hovercraft and unsync her device. This **needed** to happen before she lost consciousness so the Mandalorian could take over and protect the child.

All of a sudden a new kind of pain erupted from her body. Not a new area, not a new wound. A type of pain she had literally never experienced before.

The woman screamed as her body felt like it was lifted from the ground. Her Gaffii stick slipped out of her torso with a squelching noise that only made her want to vomit just as hard as she screamed.

She wanted to scream for the Mandalorian, but when she looked in his direction she saw the Mudhorn floating just as she was, but much higher.

Anthadme deduced it was her shoulder that was harboring the new type of pain. When she looked over to it she saw a golden light surrounding her arm. It looked like it was burning markings into her flesh.

She began her descent to the ground. When she was close enough she moved her Gaffii stick away to make sure landing wouldn't create a second hole.

At least she wouldn't die faster now, anyway.

"M-ma-" The woman breathed, "Mando?"

"I'm here, I'm here," he said, recognizing this as the first time she called him that. He dropped to his knees next to her and wrapped his arm under the top of her back. With a pained grunt, he tried to lift her torso into his lap and, instead, fell backward.

The drop was painful for the two of them, but more so for her. She let out a pained cry, curling her body into his chest, and let out gentle sobs.

He didn't know what to do.

"Please," she said, looking over to him, a slight cough, "Please don't take that kid to them. Please don't-"

"Shhh," he said, "Relax. You've lost a lot of blood and you're not doing so good. We'll talk about this after we patch you up, okay?"

Anthadme tried her best to regain a steady breath of air. She failed. With all the strength she could muster she raised her hand and grabbed his arm as hard as she could, "Promise me," she said, trying to lock eyes with him through the helmet.

But all she saw was her reflection.

Din looked up to the sky. Anthadme could see the bottom of his chin under the Mandalorian helmet and smiled. She wondered what the rest of his face looked like.

Din had different thoughts like how there was no way this could possibly be happening right now. There was absolutely no fucking way. For the past few days he watched her fight like the most talented and ferocious beast he had ever seen and a fucking _Mudhorn_ is what does her in?

"Come on, we'll get you to Kuiil."

"Mando..." she breathed. She really needed to hear him say it. She really needed him to confirm it before she fell asleep.

She really wanted to fall asleep.

"Din," He said, trying to distract her from the promise.

Anthadme scrunched her eyes. She didn't understand what language he was using. Was that how people said I promise where he came from?

"My name," he said, looking back down at her, "Din Djarin."

Her mouth opened in an 'O' shape, but she found herself unable to close it anymore. Breaths rasped in her mouth. Her body so desperately wanted to take a breath, but she knew she couldn't.

"An... Anthadme" she said.

"Just Anthadme?" he asked, giving her a soft, light-hearted chuckle. He was trying to ease the situation.

She nodded. Even in death, she would never admit she was a Vanth.

It didn't strike him as odd. He didn't suspect Tusken clans to have last names.

She heard the child make a distressed sound, air gurgling in his lungs like he was preparing to wail.

Once again she tried to close her mouth and failed. The sound of the child crying pierced the air and broke her heart.

"The last time," she breathed, "The last time a Mandalorian walked into my life he- He saved me from, from slavery," she coughed, taking another deep breath in, "And named me."

Din's breath hitched.

"Are you," she asked, putting a bloody hand on his helmet and leaving an impression of it, "Are you going to save us?"

Din sighed. He didn't want to promise something he didn't think he would keep.

_'Lie to me if you have to,'_ she thought, unable to say the words out loud.

"Anthadme?" He asked, watching her body slowly go limp, "Anthadme!" He yelled, giving her a gentle shake.

It didn't matter what he said. Her world went black as soon as she finished her earlier thought.

**?**

Anthadme squirmed in her sleep.

When her eyes opened, she was standing in the middle of a monastery.

Three figures. A bright woman of gold and green. A man of shadows and darkness. An older man, tall and strong.

Anthadme blinked, wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands. She looked for her wounds and found none.

_"Din?"_ she called out. The world around her sounded hallow, without an echo.

Was this death?

The figure of the old man she didn't recognize came to life.

"Where am I?" she asked him.

"Nowhere, and yet somehow... Everywhere," the old man spoke.

"This is a dream," she said, crossing her arms and trying to pinch herself awake.

"No, in fact, it is not," he responded, "We haven't much time. Your siblings are likely going to try and break free soon."

"Siblings?" she questioned, taken back.

The man did not answer her question and, instead, reached out his hand and cupped her face.

"You**must** protect the child. You must teach the child. **You** are solely responsible for teaching the child every inch of the light, the dark, and the balance. He must be as if he was your own."

"What?" she asked, upset that he did not answer her question, "The... the baby?"

"Yes. He must remain in your care or all hope for the galaxy will be lost."

"I don't... I don't understand," she said, starting to feel overwhelmed.

"I foresaw us dying," he said, gesturing to himself and the two figures next to him. "When I knew this to be inevitable in every timeline that existed I needed to make sure there was an alternative answer ready for the galaxy."

The figures next to him were close to exploding free.

"I tampered the well your siblings used to see the future so they would not see you, my child. I made sure you would remain unborn until this tragic series of events could happen," he rubbed his thumb on her face before pulling his hand back, "You must train the next Chosen One, he is meant to be an immortal here, with you, and bind a new age of the Force."

"My child? You're my...? The kid is your... Chosen one? Immortal? The Force?" emotions within her were exploding, "But, but I can't-" None of this made sense to her.

**"This is not the end for you, Child. Not even death can spare you from your destiny. Every decision you make from here on out will define you and that child's future. It is a heavy weight to carry, but you ****must**** do so."**

The figures beside him and her 'siblings' spoke.

_**"Shhh, Sister. Let your mind rest. This is a fear for another day. You will make a fine Mother," said the Sister.**_

**"Remain strong, you have a galaxy to take over and that child will be the key to doing so," said the Brother.**

"Where can I find you?!" She screamed into the void that was starting to spin out of control.

**"You can't," the voices said in unison.**

**.Abord the Razor Crest.**

"DIN!" Anthadme screamed when she woke up from her nightmare.

She tried to sit up so she could run, but instead, she experienced the worst pain of her life. This caused her to lay back down. The woman groaned and allowed her hands to find their way to her wounds. She gripping them tightly and writhed in the pain.

"Anthadme?" his voice called.

She looked around the room but did not see him. This was an unfamiliar ship much smaller than hers. Before panic could set in she watched him jump down the entire length of the ladder and quickly walk over to her.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said, pushing her flat onto the bed by her shoulder, gently, "Relax, relax. You're safe, you're perfectly safe. You're having a fever dream."

"The kid-"

"Up in the cockpit."

"Balosar?"

Silence.

"Balosar!" She said sternly. It was still a question, but it came off more like a demand.

"I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head.

Anthadme's mouth hung open in disbelief, "Is she dead?"

"Yes," he said, "There was a shootout. She was watching over the ship when I moved you here. She... sacrificed herself so the kid and I could make it back."

"Where-"

"I gave her to the Tusken tribe in Nevarro. They said they would bury her in their sacred grounds, just like you told me Tusken tribes would. They said you may pay your respects whenever you want. But-"

"But what?!"

"But we can never go back to Nevarro."

"W-why? Mando- I mean," she paused, trying to collect her thoughts. Too much was happening at once, she was still low on blood, and her brain was having trouble keeping up.

"Anthadme, please. For now, just relax," He said, squeezing her shoulder.

She just realized he never moved his hand from when he pushed her flat, "I promise I will explain everything when you wake up. I promise to tell you every detail you want. Just get some sleep so you can get better."

The woman looked up at him skeptically. She trusted him to tell her the truth. She **didn't** trust him to not withhold some of it.

Then again, it was something they both did to one another. Often.

"The kid?" she asked again.

"Anthadme," Din said sternly, "He is **fine**. You are**not**."

She huffed, leaning her head back. Her mouth was slightly agape, eyes wide and going wild. Her brain was still functioning at max capacity and she didn't know how to process everything that was happening. Everything that **happened.**

Din saw flashbacks of a similar face she made when he thought she would never open her eyes again. He wanted to defuse the situation so she didn't hurt herself and he tried to think of the best way to distract her.

"Hey," he said, waiting for her to look up at him, "I figured since you were already having issues with your boots when you decided to slide down a canyon like a madwoman," he smirked, letting a soft chuckle, "That you'd want a new pair of boots."

He pulled something from the side of her bed and sat it next to her on the bed. She looked down to see a brand her pair of boots and wondered if he could read he mind the day she thought about asking him for a pair.

"Hey," she said, now noticing his armor, "You got new armor," she smiled. **How** he got it didn't dawn on her.

He fell silent, "Yeah. I did," he said quietly, "Do you like your boots?"

"You fucking egg head," She smiled, giving him a soft chuckle and running her fingers over the heel of the boots. Her breath evened a little, eyes drooping a little more.

'Just a little calmer,' he thought.

"I mean, if you don't want them-" He said, starting to take them off the bed.

"No! No. I mean yes. Yes, I want them," she said, laughing. That earned her a painful cough. The cough scared Din, but she recovered from it fast enough. When the coughing stopped she relaxed even more.

"I really like them. Thank you."

"It was the least I could do," he said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks," She smiled, having trouble formulating proper sentences, "Really, thanks."

He looked down at her with a smile for a good while. A smile that was hidden behind his mask.

He wanted to tell her he was sorry for dragging her into this. Sorry for making her get caught up in this mess with him and the kid. Sorry for making her leave her Bantha, her ship, and her entire life behind. Sorry he took the kid, got the money, and **then** went to get the kid back. Sorry she almost died. Sorry her Bantha died. Sorry she could never visit.

The list of what he was sorry for went on, but he couldn't say any of it. The nurse droid from the hospital warned him about how her stress levels needed to be low for a few days. He needed to sit on this for a little while, then he could talk to her about it.

Then he would see if she wanted to go on with him or separate.

He really hoped she would stay.

"I made you promise me. Right?," she said as if she could read his mind and all of his apologies, "Whatever happened, don't think about it so much."

"How did you-"

"I guessed. You proved I was right."

He paused and nodded. He never actually promised her, but for now, he would go along with it "A promise is a promise then?"

"A promise is a promise."

Anthadme raised her fist, extending her pinky to him. He sighed before reluctantly putting his pinky into hers. Both of them squeezed their finger and nodded to one another.

"Now go back to bed before I make you watch the kid."

**A/n: Hey y'all! Are you enjoying it? Drop me a note!**


	7. Part 6 - Wishes

Author's note:

I need you to know I'm a **huge** fan of strong leading female roles. Our lady may have hit a rough patch for story development, but she is still the feral little raider bean I love.

#MoreFeralRaiderBeanSoon

**The Razor Crest **

The Mandalorian carefully snaked his arms under Anthadme and lifted her up like a bride.

She groaned in his arms and gripped the section of his shirt that was revealed between the Beskar, "No," she mumbled.

"We've gotta go. There's a job and I can't leave you here by yourself," The Mandalorian said, slowly walking through the ship.

"My mask," She said, still not opening her eyes, "If we're leaving the ship I want my mask."

"I can't do that," He frowned, "You're already not breathing properly."

The woman whined and removed her grip from his shirt so she could punch him in the same spot. It was weak and he barely felt it, but he got the point.

"I promise to keep your face hidden."

Anthadme nodded, allowing the sway of his slow pace to lull her back to sleep. Not before she felt him shift her body slightly so her head would fall into his chest.

She knew it was to conceal her face. It still made her feel safer. More comfortable.

Happy.

****Sorgan****

The Mandalorian laid the woman flat in the back of the carrier and commanded the people around him to turn their heads.

When her face was no longer hidden by his chest he set two boxes on both sides of her head. He threw a blanket over the boxes and effectively made a blanket fort to conceal her face.

"You're good," he called to his other companions and lifted the child onto the carrier.

The child cooed happily when he saw her and waddled over to her side. He hadn't been allowed near her for the past few days because he kept trying to touch her wounds and making her cry in her sleep.

When the child reached her he turned to face the Mandalorian, sat down next to her, and leaned his back on her waist.

Din smiled under his mask but said nothing as he climbed into the carrier, sat next to them, and waited for Cara Dune to get on.

"This is your partner?" Cara asked, pointing to the woman.

He knew she probably meant battle partner, but it crossed his mind that she may have meant '_partner'_ partner and his face flushed under his helmet.

"Yeah," he said, deciding she must have meant battle partner and would correct her later if he needed to.

"She seems-"

"She's fine," he said, "Just needs some rest."

Cara looked at the crude set up to hide the woman's face. Her eyes trailed down to the woman's clothes that were horridly covered in blood, dirt, and dried gore. She cringed, moving her gaze over to the kid, "Is he hers?"

The Mandalorian looked over to the kid and contemplated how he should answer.

"Or is he both of yours?" Cara continued.

"Something like that," The Mandalorian said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back on the carrier's walls.

He knew any information he gave could potentially compromise their safety. The fewer details people knew about the kid, the better.

The fact that people couldn't see either of their faces, and how Anthadme's skin was always covered, meant they had the ability to claim the child as their own - should they need to.

**The hut**

Anthadme's eyes burned from a light piercing her eyelids, causing her to wake up. She was unable to open them at first and decided to take in her surroundings with her other senses.

Something soft below her._ 'A bed of hay, feathers, or cloth?'_

She wiggled a little. Her clothes felt hard with dirt and they smelled bad. However, they lacked the cushioning of the fur she normally wore. She was definitely wearing different clothes.

Past her own smell she caught something vaguely familiar in the environment. She never spent much time on planets full of green life, water, and wildlife, but she knew the smell of one. _'We're definitely on a different planet.'_

Past that, the smell of food. Something meaty, but also a bread of some sort. Her mouth watered. _'I'm so hungry.'_

The woman let out a breath and opened her eyes, seeing a sheet above her head. She looked from left to right and saw gun containers at each side of her head. A blanket was draped over them to conceal her face.

The events of her last wakening crashed back to her mind. She remembered the Mandalorian said he would keep her face hidden and she took solace in the fact that he stuck to his word.

She saw her clothes, her own clothes, but a different set. Where the Mandalorian found one of her long-sleeved shirts and cloth pants was a mystery to her.

Wondering who put them on her made her flustered.

"You awake?" she heard a tentative male's voice ask as if he was truly unsure of her state of consciousness.

The voice was deep and unfiltered. It reminded Anthadme of dried bark from trees. How bamboo smelled. The way walnuts looked when you cracked them open. Earthy, full of life, and nourishing. The voice was familiar, but she did not know how.

"Y-yes," she croaked, the dryness in her throat making itself _very_ known, "Water."

She had no idea who she was speaking to. Due to her state, now was not the time to care about her usual boundaries.

There was a sound of steps that lead in the opposite direction of where she stood, followed by the clanking sound of someone picking something up. The steps then went to the other side of the room and she heard the sound of pouring water. Finally, they headed for her and pulled the blanket from her fortress.

She whipped her forearm over her face and turned her head, her eyes squinting at the bright light that was now exposed.

"It's just me," the voice said, now sounding more robotic.

Anthadme removed her arm and looked up at the Mandalorian. She wanted to ask questions, but she needed the water more. So she reached up and asked for it with exposed hands.

Instead of handing it to her, the Mandalorian sat the cup of water down on the table beside them. This caused her to softly whine.

"Relax," he said, removing one of the containers from the side of her head, "I'm going to set you up."

"My stomach," she croaked, knowing that the most common way to help someone sit up was lifting them by the waist. Something she did ****not**** want him to do.

"I know. Do you trust me?" he asked.

The question made her look up to his helmet and find herself, once again, looking for where her eyes could lock with his. She was searching for answers in memories and personality deductions.

She thought about how he's already heard her speak. How she takes her mask off around him - with _ease_. How they battle like a unit that's been together for centuries. How they talk about ****the real shit**** with one another... even if there are still walls between those conversations.

"Yeah," she said, relaxing a tenseness in her shoulders she didn't realize were there.

He nodded and slipped a hand under her shoulders. His other hand went under her thighs. Anthadme flinched at the movement, breathing out the pain. The Mandalorian saw this and waited for her to collect herself again.

After a moment she nodded, and he continued.

He lifted her slowly. The blanket that was covering her body fell from her shoulders to the bend of her waist. Her head lulled into the crook of his neck as her hands reached up and wrapped themselves around his shoulders.

Her attempts to help him stabilize the extra body weight allowed her to get a nose full of the man's scent.

His clothes smelled worn, but freshly cleaned. The smells of planets stuck to him like a travel sticker on a suitcase that told the world all the places he's been to. Under that, however, was _him_. He smelled like an orchid of citrus trees or a field of freshly picked strawberries. Something that her nose registered as both sweet and tangy.

He interrupted thoughts when he pulled his arm from under her shoulder up, forcing her to bend her body at an angle that could be supported by the wall. She groaned, her arms unlinking themselves from his neck and searching for the surface below her.

Her body instinctively wanted to brace her movements to prevent the pain.

"I've got you. Relax," he said, slowly moving the arm from behind her shoulder and allowing her back to rest on the wall.

She nodded again and pressed her palms to the seat below her as he removed his other arm from under her thighs. Once she was sitting on her own she let out a deep breath, relaxed her arms, and folded them over her lap.

The Mandalorian picked up the cup of water and held it up to her mouth. Her arms were weak, but strong enough to guide the cup how she wanted it. He held onto the bottom for stability.

When it was empty she pulled the cup from her lips and breathed, "Thanks."

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Anthadme considered the question and closed her eyes to focus. She allowed her senses to feel and analyze her entire body. Where there was pain, where there was discomfort.

"Like I somehow survived a miracle," she said, opening her eyes to see he took a seat next to her, "Like I want to get up and walk around. Like I'll get bedsores if I stay here."

The Mandalorian leaned over to her and grabbed the edges of the blanket resting at her hips, "May I check the wounds?"

"Yeah," she said, leaning backward and slightly arching her body so he could get a better look at where she knew the hole was. It hurt, but it was manageable.

The Mandalorian moved the blanket and pulled her shirt up, stopping just under her breasts. The skin on her stomach was a slew of autumn colors that screamed irritation, bruising, and healing, "I'm still not sure how you survived," he thought out loud.

She heard his helmet make a "huuuue" noise and knew he was using it to analyze her wounds.

"It's like the organs inside weren't even hurt, even though there was a hole the size of my fist torn through. Like," He paused, inspecting the wounds closer, "Like... Your organs moved out of the way or something."

Anthadme thought back to how she rose from the air, just as the Mudhorn did. She thought of her fever dream. The fact that she survived. Of the light tattooing her shoulder. She made a mental note to check that later, when the Mandalorian wasn't around.

"Something," She said, looking down to see the damages for herself. She gasped at the sight, moving her hands over and tracing the circular wound with the tips of her fingers, "Something weird happened in that field."

The Mandalorian recalled his own memories of the Mudhorn floating, "Did you see it?" he asked.

"The Mudhorn in the air?"

"Yeah," he said, looking over to the sleeping green ball of baby in a nearby cradle, "The kid did it. It hurt him. Mentally, not physically. He slept for so long I didn't think he was going to wake up. But he did, and he's fine. I think."

Anthadme looked over to the child and her heart clenched. The voices of her fever dream rang in her ears.

****'He must be as if he was your own.'****

****'You will make a fine Mother.'****

The Mandalorian pulled her from her thoughts by lowering her shirt back to where it belonged. She took her hands away from the wound and rested them in her lap.

"Maybe he saved me too," she said, looking back at his helmet, "Somehow."

"Maybe."

There were steps by the entrance of the door. The Mandalorian jumped to his feet, shoving his chest into Anthadme's face and putting his hands on the wall above her head to shield her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I come back?" An unfamiliar, but sweet, woman's voice asked.

"Yes," The Mandalorian responded, "And until she's healed and can put her mask back on no one can come in here."

"I understand," The woman said, sounding hurt in some way. How or why, Anthadme didn't know.

When the Mandalorian was sure she was gone he sat back down, "Sorry," he muttered.

"No, don't be," Anthadme smiled, "I appreciate it."

"I understand what it's like. The importance may be different, and I may not understand how," he paused, "But I respect it."

"This is the way," She said, mockingly.

They both chuckled.

**Later**

Anthadme was healing faster than anyone, including herself, anticipated. Most days she was alone in the hut and waiting for the Mandalorian to come back. Sometimes the children would try to sneak peeks of her from the doorway and she would roll over in bed to avoid their gazes.

Today, however, she was ready to stand and take a fucking ****bath****.

She groaned as she stood from the bed. It wasn't because of pain. It was because her muscles and bones were achy from being dormant for so long.

Once she stood she raised her hands to the ceiling and stretched. Her bones popped, her muscles contracted, and by the time she relaxed she felt ****good****.

The woman lifted her shirt, revealing her stomach, and inspected the wounds. The wound seemed to have healed and left a twisted red patch of scar tissue in its wake. She guessed in another week or so she would be back to 100%. Right now she was at least functional.

The child cooed from his crib. He sounded concerned.

Anthadme let go of her shirt, allowing it to fall, and walked over to the baby, "Hush, little one," she smiled, picking him up and bouncing him on her hip, "Would you like a bath too?" she asked, "I'm sure Din hasn't given you one."

The child cooed happily. Whether that was for the invitation or the joke, she didn't know. Regardless, she smiled and scanned the room for her helmet. Sure enough, there it was, on top of a familiar box.

With curious eyes, Anthadme put the child down and walked over to the box. She opened the lid to reveal random bits of her clothes and things that must have been recovered from her ship. Did the Mandalorian take the time to grab some of her things?

She shook her head, deciding this would have to wait until they could have the conversation about the things she missed. She grabbed a change of clothes, picked the child up, and put on her helmet.

"You ready to go?" she asked from under the helmet.

The child, now used to the sight, gave a laugh.

Anthadme exited the hut with the child and the screaming ensued.

"The raiders are back!"

"Help!"

"Get the Mandalorian!"

She heard a blaster roar to life behind her and froze, pressing the child into her chest to protect him.

"Put the child down," a female voice said.

Anthadme growled.

"HEY! PUT THAT GUN DOWN!" she heard the Mandalorian call from the same direction the gun was, but further back.

Once she was sure she was safe to turn, she did. A woman with short hair stood behind her and the child clund to Anthadme's shirt. The strange woman looked down at the child and then to the bloody shirt she recognized from the carrier ride in.

"Oh," she said, putting her blaster away, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize- I thought you'd be wearing a-" the woman said, gesturing to her face, "The same kind of helmet as him."

The Mandalorian made his way over to the trio and stopped in front of Anthadme, inspecting both her and the child, "Are you okay? Is he okay? Why are you out of bed?"

Anthadme gave him a dirty look through her helmet. She knew he couldn't see it, but she hoped he could feel it. With one hand holding the baby she grabbed her shirt by the bloody bits, pulled them from her body, and let them fall from her hand.

_'Do you see how dirty I am?'_ is what she meant.

Under his helmet the Mandalorian made an 'o' face, only then noticing the fresh pair of clothes she had tucked between herself and the baby, "Come on," he said to her, "Can you take over gun practice?" he asked the other woman.

"Yeah, sure. Do what you need to."

The Mandalorian and Anthadme walked past the village pond.

Once she was sure they were far enough away she asked, "Gun practice? What, did you land on a stranded planet and decide to teach a local band of misfits how to defend themselves?"

The Mandalorian realized how far behind in events she was and sighed, not knowing where to start.

They reached a pond that was larger than the ponds in the village, but much smaller than a lake. It steamed, making Anthadme assume it was a hot spring. There was a makeshift clothesline with towels and dresses on it. The Mandalorian pulled a towel from it and took the child and her clothes from her hands.

"Are you going to answer me?" she asked, watching him put the clothes in a pile on a rock and setting the child down.

"I'm going to turn around and keep an eye out so no one comes over. Bathe. I'll fill you up on everything while you do," he said, dreading the conversation.

Anthadme hesitantly removed her helmet, stripped her clothes, grabbed a cleaning cloth from the side of the bank, and sunk into the pond. The heat stung, but it felt good.

She looked to her shoulder where she remembered the golden light burning her and, sure enough, there was a strange symbol on her flesh. Anthadme's breath hitched when she realized it wasn't a hallucination. That part of the weird events, at least.

The Mandalorian sat down a few feet from the pond, resting his elbows on his propped knees. The child attempted to run past him, but he swooped him up and placed him in his lap, "No."

It pulled her from her thoughts.

"Din," she said, firmly but calmly. It made his heart skip a beat, "Let him come over here, it's okay."

"I don't think-"

"I can watch him-"

"But what if he-"

"Din..."

Din said nothing, face fully flushed under his mask, and let the child go. The baby cooed and waddled over to Anthadme.

She stripped him of his clothes and sat him in a shallow end of the pond, making sure to be close by.

"Alright, tell me what happened," she said as she began rubbing the dirt out of her hair with her hands and the cloth.

"I let the Jawas keep a few of your stitched blankets for a few medpacks. They stopped the bleeding. Kuiil stitched you up and once we were sure you were good for travel we, ah," he paused, "I took us back to Nevarro."

Anthadme's interest piqued, she moved to clean the other side of her head, "And?"

"And I gave the kid to the contact."

"You ****WHAT****?!" she yelled, slamming her hand down on the water's surface, causing the baby to make a distressed noise. Din's eyes clenched shut in shame, "But you said. You ****said**** a promise is a-"

"I really needed you to go to sleep, Anthadme," he paused, re-calculating his words as he heard her intake a breath to yell again, speaking up before she could, "Look, I never agreed to the promise originally. It goes against... everything. But, at that moment. At the ****moment**** I said it, I meant it."

Anthadme breathed, placing a hand on top of the baby's head to soothe him. She realized starting an argument now meant it would be even longer before she could hear the rest of the story, "Is that how you got the Beskar for your new suit?"

"And your new boots?" He said. It sounded like a question, but she knew it was apprehensiveness.

"Your armor, my ship, my Bantha, those boots, and ****that fucking child**** is ****still worth more**** than all that Beskar, Din," she snapped, venom seeping from her tongue.

The child cried from under her hand, grabbing her fingers with both of his hands. She sighed, picked him up, and tucked him into the crook of her neck - above water level.

_'Not my armor,'_he thought, knowing it was ****supposed**** to be the most important thing to him, but now was not the time or place to argue that.

"I went back to your ship to get you and take you to a hospital. I knew when I saw you I made a mistake. I grabbed the things from your ship that I could, loaded them - and you - into my ship, and went back for the kid."

Anthadme sighed, placing the child back in the shallow end when she was sure he was calm. She started rubbing the dirt and blood from her body.

"Your Bantha followed you."

"Balosar."

"Balosar followed you to my ship," He corrected himself, "She stood guard from the entrance, not wanting to leave your side. By the time I came back with the kid, I was followed by the _entire guild_ who was trying to get him back. My people tried to help, but they weren't enough. Balosar stood between us and the line of fire to take the hits so I could get on the ship and get out of there."

"How did you get her to a sacred ground then?" she asked, praying he wasn't lying.

"I've got friends."

_'Shocking,'_ she thought in her anger.

"We're on Sorgan. A backwater, no port, barely populated planet to lay low for a while. The woman who wanted to shoot you earlier? Her name is Cara Dune. She an ex-Rebel Dropper who was laying low here. We both took a job from this town to wipe out a gang of raiders terrorizing them, but we found out they have an AT-ST-"

"A what?"

"A big metal contraption with mounted laser turrets. Heavy duty."

Anthadme looked at the child and had fear in her heart, "Are we safe?"

"If the villagers learn as fast as they are vigilant, yes. We've got a plan and," He paused, "We're taking them out tonight."

Anthadme sighed, finishing the last bit of cleaning on her skin. It wasn't perfect, but she told herself she could do more later. She looked over at the baby and took him into her arms. Deciding not to use her filthy cleaning cloth, she used her hands to rub dirt from him.

The silence was killing Din. He needed to hear she wasn't mad at him. He knew she was mad. He ****didn't**** want her to not be mad at ****him****.

"I'll help," she finally said, putting the baby in her arms and walking out of the water.

Din almost turned around in anger, not pervertedness, at her words, "You absolutely will not," he said, standing up as if it gave him more authority.

"I'm not a porcelain doll," she said, setting the child in the grass as she started to dry herself off, "And I promise to stay behind. No hand to hand combat. Blaster, from a distance, only."

Din sighed instead of verbally admitting defeat. Anthadme started to get dressed.

The time it took her to get fully dressed, and dress the child, was filled with complete silence.

"Do you hate me?" he finally asked in a soft tone she almost didn't believe was him.

She sighed, thinking of all the reasons she had to be mad at him. Thinking of everything he did that she was mad at him for. Thinking of everything he did that she was thankful for.

At the end of her thought process, she decided that if she was in his position she would have done the same thing - provided she was in _his_ shoes and not her own.

The woman came behind him and put a hand on the center of his back. His body tensed and then relaxed. She pulled up her other hand and placed it on his side. He didn't tense.

Part of him wondered if she had dressed or not. The thought made his cheeks flush and his breath hitch in his throat. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she slid her other hand to his other side and pushed both of her hands forward, lacing them together at his chest.

Din noticed the fabric on her sleeves, realizing she was dressed, and breathed out. Once he relaxed he raised his hands and set them atop hers.

"No," she said, resting her cheek on the Beskar of his back, "I'm not."

Din felt a pain in his chest. He realized he was starting to catch feelings for this woman and he wanted more than anything to fully indulge in them. It hurt him that he couldn't.

He had a Creed, one he needed to stand by.

Once again he found himself thinking about her settling down. He saw her getting two Banthas and mating them. He saw her raise the kid in a comfortable home on a tropical planet. He saw himself with her, even if they weren't together as a couple. He saw himself spending his life with this woman in every way the Resol'nare would allow that he could justify to himself.

He knew it would never be enough for her.

He knew she deserved more.

Someone who could take off his helmet. Someone who could kiss her. Someone who could love her.

_'A Mando'ad naas ures Resol'nare'_ he thought.

_****(Translation: Mandalorian: But a Mandalorian is nothing without the Resol'nare.)****_

The woman, completely unaware of his thought process, hugged him tighter.

"If you want to go home you can say I kidnapped you," He said, quieter than his question.

"What?" she asked, sounding offended as she removed her hands from him and turned him around.

"I never gave you an option, so here it is. If you want, you can say I kidnapped you and the kid. I'll take you to whatever planet you want. You can tell them whatever you need to. Start a life-"

Anthadme put a hand on her helmet. Both of them got flashbacks to the last time she did that when her hands were soaked in her own blood. The action was enough to silence him.

"I'm choosing now," she said, moving her hand to her shoulder and looking down to the child, "And I choose to stay with the two of you."

She picked up the baby and cradled him in her arms and looked down at him, "I can't leave him," she said softly before looking up at Din, "And I don't want to leave you either."

Her hair, wet and waved, falling down her face in clumped sections made his heart melt. She looked so much more alive and he was glad she felt well enough to do this.

Din took a moment to take in this scene. Her, standing here, on a relatively peaceful planet full of life, a baby in her arms, and life in her face. He took a picture with his mind and promised himself he would never forget it.

"You ready to go?" she asked, adjusting the baby on her hip.

Din took another moment to keep snapping mental pictures of her standing there.

"Yeah," he said, grabbing her helmet from his feet and handing it to her.

She put the helmet back on her head and, just like that, the Tusken Raider was back and the woman he wanted to settle down with disappeared.

He considered telling her to stop taking her mask off in front of him anymore.

He considered leaving her on Sorgan with the kid.


End file.
